“The virus was passed on in the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the patients are being transferred from Arrowe Park to specialist NHS infection centres.”

Prof Chris Whitty said: “Four further patients in England have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 13.

Four of the 32 British and Irish Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers taken to Arrowe Park, Merseyside on Saturday have tested positive for coronavirus strain Covid-19, the chief medical officer for England has said.

We are pausing the live blog now but will update it again is there are more major developments. There have been a lot of updates today in terms of how the coronavirus is spreading and what measures are being taken to stop it.

“We share concern for possible contagion [but] there is no need to panic.”

The bloc’s economic affairs commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni, said: “The EU has full confidence in the Italian authorities and the decisions they are taking.”

The European Union sees “no need to panic” over a coronavirus outbreak in Italy that has killed two people and infected more than 100 in the country.

Venice carnival will close early this year due to concerns about the coronavirus, which has spread in northern Italy . Below is a photograph of a police officer wearing a protective face mask and standing next to a masked carnival reveller at the event.

The Bank of Japan governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, has said that if the virus outbreak persists it may have a big impact on Japan and global economies through supply chain disruptions.

Le Maire said the emergency called for accelerating a shift in industrial policy towards making key goods within national or European Union borders, using state aid when necessary. “It’s not protectionism, it’s just responsibility,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting of financial leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “It costs a lot at the starting point so you need the support of public funding. China is doing the same, the United States are doing the same, I don’t know why Europe would not do the same for strategic assets like electric batteries.”

Bruno Le Maire spoke to Reuters on Sunday as the virus spread in Europe , with Italy particularly affected.

France should produce more vital goods, such as drugs and electric batteries, as the coronavirus outbreak highlights the danger of relying on imports from China, the country’s finance minister said.

The musician is now in quarantine in Australia. She and her partner were working as musicians on the ship and were evacuated to Australia along with many others. They will spend two weeks in quarantine in Darwin.

The Irish singer Rebecca Harkin is among those who have been evacuated from the Coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess.

Pakistan has closed its land border with Iran, as Afghanistan suspends travel to the neighbouring country amid concerns about the growing numbers of people being infected by new coronavirus.

“To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and protect the public, Afghanistan suspends all passenger movement (air and ground) to and from Iran,” the office of the National Security Council of Afghanistan said in a statement posted on Twitter.



To prevent the spread of the novel #coronavirus and protect the public, Afghanistan suspends all passenger movement (air and ground) to and from Iran. The suspension also includes the import of poultry products (eggs and chicken) from Iran and Pakistan. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/wfV5f5FaDD — ONSC Press (@NSCAfghan) February 23, 2020

A provincial official in Pakistan and the country’s Frontier Corps also confirmed that the country had sealed the land border with Iran.



Iran has now had eight deaths from the virus, the highest toll of any country outside China. The latest three deaths reported on Sunday were among 15 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, bringing the overall number of infections to 43.

Four new infections surfaced in the capital Tehran, seven in the holy city of Qom, two in Gilan and one each in Markazi and Tonekabon, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said.

Authorities have ordered as a “preventive measure” the closure of schools, universities and other educational centres in 14 provinces across Iran from Sunday.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share porous borders with Iran that are often used by smugglers and human traffickers, while millions of Afghan refugees currently live in the Islamic Republic. Fears were raised that the virus could easily spread over the border.

Updated at 13.21 EDT