No country should make the "fatal mistake" of assuming it will be spared the coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said, as governments from Iran to Australia raced to contain the epidemic's rapid global spread.

With new infections reported around the world now surpassing those in mainland China, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said even rich nations should prepare for surprises.

"No country should assume it won't get cases, that would be a fatal mistake, quite literally," he said, pointing to Italy, where authorities said three more people had died, bringing the toll from Europe's worst outbreak of the illness to 17. Confirmed cases there rose to 650.

In Britain, the country's top doctor has warned that major concerts, sports events and festivals could be cancelled and schools closed for at least two months in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The government is considering the measures amid warnings from Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, that it is "just a matter of time" before the virus spreads within the UK.

Speaking after two new cases of the virus in England were confirmed - with links to Italy and Tenerife - Prof Whitty said such moves would be part of efforts to delay the peak of any outbreak for as long as possible.

"The kinds of things you consider reducing are mass gatherings, school closures," he said, stressing that no decisions had yet been taken.

"One of the things that's clear with this virus, much more so than with the flu, is anything we do we're going to have to do for quite a long time - probably more than two months."

As the number of cases worldwide soars - with France reporting an increase from 18 to 38 and those in Germany almost doubling in a day to 40 - there are fears that "cured" patients are being released too early after several Japanese and Chinese people who had been sent home tested positive again.

Quarantine periods may need to be extended after a patient in Japan tested positive for the disease a second time, an expert has said.

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It came as Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, asked Japan's schools to close for a month and cancelled major sports fixtures, following criticism that his government's response had been too cautious.

It also appeared to be directed at heading off speculation that Japan might have to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for July.

Katsunobu Kato, Japan's health minister, said patient lists would have to be reviewed as a result of the suspected reinfection.

A suspected reinfection has been reported in China, but this is the first known case in Japan. About three in 20 recovered virus patients in China's Guangdong province have tested positive a second time this week, Chinese authorities said.

Guangdong has diagnosed 1,350 cases, making it China's second hardest hit area after Hubei province, which harbours Wuhan.

It is unclear if the virus lies dormant or if cured patients are being reinfected, said experts who urged caution about interpreting the reports.

However, epidemiologists warned it might mean quarantine periods would need extending.

"This virus has pandemic potential," Mr Tedros told reporters in Geneva.

He said Iran, Italy and South Korea were at a "decisive point", still short of sustained community transmission.

Irish Independent