March 2 (Reuters) – The rapid spread of the new coronavirus has increased fears of a pandemic, sending global markets into a dive last week and prompting governments to step up control measures.
* As of Sunday, there have been over 86,500 cases of the virus globally, the majority in China, according to a Reuters tally. Outside of China, it has spread to 53 countries, with more than 6,500 cases and more than 100 deaths. Globally, the illness has killed nearly 3,000 people.
* Mainland China had 202 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, sharply down from 573 cases a day earlier. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,026.
* The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China reached 2,912 as of the end of Sunday, up by 42 from the previous day.
* Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday two Indonesians had tested positive for coronavirus after being in contact with an infected Japanese national, marking the first confirmed cases in the world’s fourth most populous country.
* Churches were closed in South Korea on Sunday, with many holding online services instead, as authorities fought to rein in public gatherings. The tally of cases rose by 586 to 3,736 while the death toll rose to 20.
* Iran’s death toll has reached 54, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, adding the number of those infected had reached 978.
* The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Italy has risen by five to 34 over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said on Sunday, with the accumulative number of cases totaling some 1,694. Amazon.com Inc said late on Sunday two employees in Milan have contracted the coronavirus and are under quarantine.
* The United States is considering shutting the U.S.-Mexico border to control the spread, President Donald Trump said. Washington announced new limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea.
* New York state has confirmed its first coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter Sunday evening.”
* A nursing home near Seattle is locked down after a resident and a worker were found to have the coronavirus, officials at the home said, and two other cases in the area were confirmed on Sunday.
* Britain announced a jump in cases on Sunday, with 13 new infections taking the total to 36, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he expected the number to rise further.
* Israel on Sunday confirmed three more cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of patients who have been diagnosed in Israel to 10.
* Qatar, Ireland, Ecuador, Luxembourg, Scotland, the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic reported their first cases of the virus.
* A conference on the world economy due to take place in Italy later this month with Pope Francis taking part has been postponed until November because of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers said on Sunday.
* Coronavirus concerns prompted organizers on Sunday to cancel the CERAWeek conference, one of the world’s most prestigious gatherings of oil ministers and top executives from the energy and financial industries, scheduled for this month in Houston.
* The French government put a temporary ban on public gatherings with more than 5,000 people. France now has 100 confirmed cases. Of those, two have died.
* Algeria has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infections, the health ministry said on Monday.
* Egypt’s health ministry announced on Sunday that one foreigner was tested positive for the new coronavirus strain. It is the second case of new coronavirus detected in the country.
* Iraq reported six new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases there to 19, the health ministry said.
* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked the public to cooperate in a “tough battle” to contain the outbreak in coming weeks as the country prepares to hold the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer as planned.
* The virus has prompted numerous cancellations or postponements of sporting events.
(Compiled by Frances Kerry and Maju Samuel; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
