New Rochelle and surrounding Westchester County account for at least 108 cases out of 173 statewide. New York City, with 100 times the population of New Rochelle, has 36 known infections. A Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker sprays disinfectant and wipes a railing at the 86th subway station in New York, US. Credit:Bloomberg In Italy, Italian Civil Protection Authorities said the number of infections in the country has topped the 10,000 mark, hitting 10,149, and the number of people with the virus who have died rose to 631, from 463 a day earlier. That's more cases than anywhere but China. Police at Rome's main train station checked commuters' paperwork to ensure they had legitimate reasons to leave their residential neighborhoods for work, health or other "necessary" reasons. Carabinieri teams patrolled cafes to make sure owners were keeping customers 1-meter (yard) apart. Malta and Spain announced a ban on air traffic from Italy. Malta turned away another cruise ship and British Airways canceled flights to the whole country. The Vatican even erected a new barricade at the edge of St Peter's Square.

In the UK, British junior health minister Nadine Dorries tested positive for coronavirus and said she was self-isolating. "Public Health England has started detailed contact tracing and the department and my parliamentary office are closely following their advice," she said in a statement issued through the UK's health department. In Oakland, California, meanwhile, thousands of increasingly bored and restless passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the coronavirus waited their turn to get off the vessel and go to US military bases or back to their home countries for two weeks of quarantine. A prelate walks outside St Peter's Square after the Vatican erected a new barricade at the edge of the square, in Rome. Credit:AP

In Washington state, where at least 19 deaths have been connected to a Seattle-area nursing home, Governor Jay Inslee announced new rules for screening health care workers and limiting visitors. "If we assume there are 1000 or more people who have the virus today ... the number of people who are infected will double in five to eight days," he warned. "If there are 1000 people infected today, in seven to eight weeks there could be 64,000 people infected in the state of Washington if we don't somehow slow down this epidemic," Inslee said. "And in the next week it could be 120,000 and in the next a quarter of a million." On Wall Street, stocks climbed higher during the day, recouping some of their staggering losses from the day before. The United Nations closed its headquarters in New York to the public and suspended all guided tours. The virus has infected over 700 people in the US and killed at least 27, with one state after another recording its first infections in quick succession. New Jersey reported ts first coronavirus death on Tuesday. Worldwide, nearly 120,000 have been infected and over 4200 have died.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: calling up the National Guard. Credit:AP For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Most people recover in a matter of weeks, as has happened with three-quarters of those infected in mainland China. In California, passengers from the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess were allowed off the vessel and walked to the bottom of a ramp, where masked officials in yellow protective gear and blue plastic gloves took their temperature and led them to a tent for more screening before they lined up to board a bus. Authorities said foreign passengers would be flown home, while Americans would be flown or bused to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and 14-day quarantines.

After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the ship docked Monday at Oakland with about 3500 passengers and crew, including at least 21 who tested positive for the new virus. The evacuation of the 290-metre ship began on Monday with several hundred people let off the ship, including more than 200 Canadians who were flown to a military base in their country, authorities said. About 2000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard Tuesday morning. "I'm bored and frustrated," said Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. "All of a sudden a two-week vacation has turned into a five-week vacation." About 1100 crew members, 19 of whom tested positive for the virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, Governor Gavin Newsom said. He and Oakland's mayor sought to reassure people that no passengers would be exposed to the public before completing quarantine.