Millions under lockdown as global COVID-19 death toll hits 6,513

Millions of people began holing up at home, stocking up on supplies and keeping a wary eye on how close they get to friends and neighbors as fear of the coronavirus spread to more places around the world on Monday. The number of cases worldwide surpassed 169,000 with 6,513 deaths, but among those, 77,000 have recovered from the illness.

The coronavirus outbreak continued to move away from its original epicenter in Asia. China, where the virus was first detected in December, now accounts for less than half of the world’s more than 169,000 cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. But it continued to spread elsewhere, leaving millions of fearful people hunkered down in their homes in Europe, the United States and beyond. Public life in many places was increasingly shut down: many restaurants offered only takeout, if they were open at all. Schools, concerts, sporting events — even small-scale St. Patrick’s Day parties — were canceled.

Iran reported another 129 fatalities from the new coronavirus on Monday, the largest one-day rise in deaths since it began battling the Middle East’s worst outbreak, which has claimed more than 850 lives and infected a number of senior officials in the country.

Businesses in Iran’s capital remained open, however, even as other countries in the region moved toward full lockdowns, with Lebanon largely shutting down and Iraqis racing to prepare for a curfew set to begin later this week.

Panic broke out in Iraq after authorities announced a weeklong curfew late on Sunday. People hurried to supermarkets and swiftly emptied shelves, while others stocked up on kerosene and cooking gas. The curfew, which is set to begin late Tuesday, includes the suspension of all flights from Baghdad’s international airport.

Iraq’s Health Ministry has reported 124 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths.

In Lebanon, where the government ordered a lockdown, traffic was thin and some streets were completely empty on Monday, the start of the working week. Restaurants, cafes and bars have been closed since last week and most private businesses were shuttered Monday.

Police asked shop owners to close in line with the government orders and moved to clear the few remaining people from Beirut’s seaside corniche. Pharmacies, bakeries and other businesses related to making or selling food were allowed to stay open. The small country has reported 99 cases and three deaths from the new coronavirus.

Both Iraq and Lebanon have been largely in disarray since anti-government protests broke out last year, and Lebanon was mired in its worst financial crisis in years even before the pandemic began.

Turkey, which has reported 18 cases of the virus, suspended collective prayers at mosques on Monday.

In Israel, over 250 cases have been reported, with no deaths.

Spain becomes 4th most infected country

Over the weekend, Spain followed Italy’s lead in imposing nationwide curbs that will allow its 46 million people to leave home only to go to work, to buy food and medicine or on errands to care for the young and elderly.

Spain has become the fourth most virus-infected country in the world, surpassing South Korea with a sharp curve of contagion, and closing its borders is a “real possibility” being considered.

The topic will be discussed by European Union members on Monday, according to the country’s interior minister.

Coronavirus cases in Spain rose by roughly 1,000 cases in 24 hours to 9,191 on Monday, and the number of fatalities reached 309.

Other EU countries, including Hungary and Georgia, announced Monday they were closing their borders to non-citizens.

Many streets in French cities were desolate Monday as schools, cafes and a range of businesses were shuttered on government orders, as President Emmanuel Macron weighed additional measures to contain a fast-escalating coronavirus outbreak.

While many people worked from home to avoid potential germ-spreading encounters or look after their children, others thronged supermarkets to stock up on essentials in case of a prolonged lockdown.

France has shuttered non-essential businesses in a bid to curb the spread of the virus that had infected more than 5,000 in the country by Sunday and killed 127 — a jump of 900 cases and 36 deaths in 24 hours.

More than 400 people are in hospital in serious condition, causing fears of hospitals being overrun.

New York City announced it will shut down the largest US public school system as early as Tuesday, sending more than 1.1 million children home. Governors in California, Illinois and Ohio told all bars and restaurants to close or reduce their number of customers.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. But severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

Experts expect the disruptions to travel and even to daily life to last for weeks, possibly months.

China goes back to work

China is relaxing travel restrictions in the hardest-hit virus province of Hubei, sending thousands of workers back to jobs at factories desperate to get production going again.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday that cities just outside the epicenter of Wuhan were chartering buses to send back to work residents who had returned home for the Lunar New Year in late January.

The move came as Chinese officials said the outbreak that spread from Wuhan starting in December has mostly run its course domestically, while they remain vigilant against imported cases.