BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in battle against the common threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 180 countries and regions around the world.
The following are the updates on the contagious illness.
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SUVA -- Fiji and Samoa tightened on Tuesday night their travel restrictions as part of their efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Fiji Airways, Fiji's national carrier, said on Tuesday that it will no longer operate any further Singapore and Hong Kong flights after Singapore and China's Hong Kong sharpened their border restrictions.
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COLOMBO -- Sri Lankan authorities on Tuesday declared three districts including capital Colombo as "high risk" areas due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 and imposed an indefinite curfew there, a statement from the President's Office said.
As a result of the curfew, the statement said essential items including medicines will be delivered to people's doorsteps as the public had been banned from leaving their homes until further notice.
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MOSCOW -- Russian authorities are taking further urgent steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, official documents showed Tuesday.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed the justice, interior and economic development ministries to submit proposals by Wednesday and draft tougher punishments for quarantine violations.
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NEW DELHI -- Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the government was working on an economic package to help the country deal with the COVID-19 lockdown.
"Work is going on and we are very close to coming up with an economic package that will be announced sooner rather than later," Sitharaman said during a news video conference.
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MADRID -- A total of 514 people lost their lives to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in Spain in the last 24 hours, the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services confirmed at midday on Tuesday.
The total number of deaths in Spain rose to 2,696 on Tuesday from Monday's total of 2,182, while that of confirmed cases increased to 39,373 from Monday's total of 33,089.
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TOKYO -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said Tuesday the total number of COVID-19 cases in Japan stood at 1,172, with 32 new cases including 17 cases in Tokyo as of 6:45 p.m. local time here.
The death toll from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 52 in the country, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.
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BEIRUT -- The number of COVID-19 infections in Lebanon increased by 37 cases to 304 on Tuesday, the National News Agency reported.
Security forces have been taking tough measures in the past few days including preventing free movement and businesses operation to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
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COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the number of COVID-19 infections had hit the 100 mark as 9 new patients were identified during the day.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said a majority of those identified were being treated at the National Infectious Disease Hospital on the outskirts of Colombo and the remaining were warded at the Welikanda Hospital in north central Sri Lanka.
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KUALA LUMPUR -- A total of 15 people have died of the COVID-19 in Malaysia as of Tuesday, and 106 newly confirmed cases were reported, taking the total to 1,624, according to the Health Ministry.
The latest fatality is a 70-year-old man with chronic disease, Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press briefing.
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CAPE TOWN -- South Africa's coronavirus cases surged to 554 on Tuesday amid an imminent national lockdown, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.
This was an increase of 152 from yesterday's announcement, the highest rise in a single day since the country reported its first case on March 5.
