Read The Star’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here. This story is no longer updating.

10 p.m.: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all bars and restaurants to close and be limited to takeout and delivery orders. All the nightclubs, movie theatres and concert venues are to close.

9:50 p.m.: A Canada Border Services Agency employee at Toronto Pearson airport tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is in isolation at home and colleagues who may have come into contact with them are being asked to self-monitor for symptoms.

7:57 p.m.: The U.S. Center for Disease Control is recommending that for the next 8 weeks organizers cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the country.

7:20 p.m.: New York City’s public schools — the largest public school system in the U.S. — will be closing this week.

6:58 p.m.: Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, confirmed in an afternoon press conference that the province has 17 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the province total to 56. Dr. Hinshaw said that some of the cases announced today were nontravel related, indicating the possibility of community spread.

Jason Kenney called for all schools and daycares to be closed, effective immediately as the province tries to limit the spread of COVID-19.

6:01 p.m.: Ontario’s Superior Court is suspending most operations effective Tuesday in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Ontario Court of Justice plans to severely cut back on the number of people who appear in court each day.

The Superior Court, which deals with all civil, some family and the most serious criminal matters, such as murder, tweeted its intention Sunday to shut down almost completely, with further details expected Sunday evening. It already announced last week that it was suspending upcoming jury trials. The court said in its tweet Sunday that the court would continue to hear “urgent public health and safety concerns (and) urgent civil, family and criminal matters.”

The Ontario Court, which deals with many family matters and the bulk of criminal cases, is expected to adjourn any criminal cases involving persons who are out of custody, according to a Facebook post from John Struthers, president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association. Those individuals, as well as their lawyers, will not be required to attend court.

5:56 p.m.: Starbucks announced its company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada would temporarily be shifting to a “to go” service model, effective immediately. In a statement posted on their website, the Seattle-based company said they were pausing all use of seating and would also temporarily be closing down stores or enforcing reduced operating hours in communities with high clusters of COVID-19 cases.

5:46 p.m.: Ontario reported three new cases on Sunday afternoon, bringing the province’s total confirmed cases of COVID-19 to 145. Two of the cases included patients who had travelled on a cruise, while the third case was a person who had recently travelled to Spain and Portugal.

5:38 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is closing all schools for two weeks following the scheduled March Break, remaining closed until April 6 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All licenced child-care centres will also be closed until further notice, effective immediately.

5:18 p.m.: The U.S. Federal Reserve slashed its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point to near zero and said it would buy up government debt in a bid to brace the American economy from the fallout of the coronavirus.

4:33 p.m.: Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott has asked hospitals to begin ramping down elective surgeries as part of the province’s pandemic planning.

“Doing so will help preserve capacity to respond to COVID-19,” she tweeted from her personal Twitter account.

3:47 p.m.: Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced the temporary closure of Ontario casinos as a precautionary measure in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The OLG says they will provide an update on when the casinos will reopen, taking into account guidance from public health authorities.

3:35 p.m.: Canada’s Public Health Officer Theresa Tam told reporters in Ottawa at a press conference that about 25,000 people across the country have been tested for COVID-19 and “the net has been cast wider than just travellers.” Ontario saw its largest single day increase in positive cases, Sunday, with 39 new cases, she added.

Tam repeated the messaging from Ottawa that Canadians abroad should get home now, and self-isolate for 14 days. COVID-19 is “rapidly increasing in Canada,” she said.

“We need to act now, COVID-19 is a serious public health threat.”

3:21 p.m.: Via Rail says it’s scaling back service in its corridor from Windsor to Quebec City to comply with government guidelines for social distancing.

The company says it will reduce service by 50 per cent in the busy corridor, which includes routes between Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and London, Ont.

3 p.m. Quebec has ordered bars and movie theatres to close to limit spread of COVID-19. Quebec Premier François Legault ordered the closure of gathering places such as bars, theatres, gyms and movie theatres on March 15 as the province brought in more aggressive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

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3 p.m. The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto is closed effective March 15. All JCCC scheduled screenings, events and programs up to and including April 6 have been postponed. It will tentatively reopen on April 7.

2 p.m. The number of cases of COVID-19 in Italy has surged higher again. Some 3,590 more cases of the coronavirus were reported in a 24-hour period, nearly 100 more than the increase as the day before. The additional infections reported Sunday represent the country’s biggest day-to-day increase. Italy’s Civil Protection chief Angelo Borrelli announced the latest number of cases, bringing the total number of people with the new coronavirus to 24,747. The number of deaths increased by 368 to 1,809. According to the World Health Organization, the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 recover within weeks. Italy’s national health institute chief Silvio Brusaferro said it is not known if Italy is reaching its peak and might start seeing the number of new cases decline.

1:50 p.m.: Beijing will quarantine all visitors from overseas at designated locations for 14 days upon arrival, People’s Daily reports. The new measures will be implemented from March 16. Inbound visitors are now the biggest group of new coronavirus cases in Beijing.

12:05 p.m. The Ontario government is introducing new protections for Ontario workers who are required to take unpaid leave during self-isolation or quarantine periods — including removing a requirement to obtain doctors’ notes. In a statement issued Sunday, Premier Doug Ford said he had directed government to draft legislation responding the COVID-19 outbreak that will include measures to ensure employers provide “protected leave.”

“Our government is protecting workers so they can focus on their own health, and the health of their families and communities, without fear of losing their jobs,” the premier said. It is unclear when the new provisions will become a reality. The provincial legislature is not currently sitting and proceedings may not resume until March 23 at the earliest.

11:45 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told CTV’s Question Period Sunday that a discussion about border closures or mandatory screening of all returning travellers will be part of today’s cabinet meeting. The government signalled to Canadians abroad on Saturday that they need to come home or risk getting stuck in the dozens of countries now cancelling international flights and shutting down borders in a bid to stop the rampant global march of the virus. Trudeau said that the countries that did implement stricter border controls after the outbreak began in China have not cut themselves off from the virus, and the monitoring efforts in Canada have been working to hold back a spike in cases.

11:31 a.m.: Ontario confirms 39 more cases of coronavirus, bringing the province’s total to 142. The newest cases are currently self-isolating or hospitalized. One new case included a person who had recently travelled to Egypt. Government figures suggest the majority of the cases are concentrated in southern Ontario. Five cases are classified as resolved.

11:20 a.m. A fundraiser for hourly workers at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary has raised over $39,000 after the company that owns the Calgary Flames told hourly staff they wouldn’t receive pay for lost shifts. Calgary Sports and Entertainment also owns the Western Hockey League’s Hitmen and the National Lacrosse League’s Roughnecks. Both of those leagues have also suspended their seasons.

11 a.m. EST Rugby Canada has joined its hockey and soccer counterparts in suspending “all sanctioned rugby activities nationally” until at least April 10. That includes interprovincial and club competitions and training sessions, international and domestic tours, and all training and education courses for officials and coaches.

10:33 a.m. EST: The Vatican’s Holy Week ceremonies will go ahead but without public attendance as Italy tries to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the Holy See said Sunday. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement that “as far as Holy Week liturgical celebrations are concerned, I can specify that all are confirmed.”

10:30 a.m. EST: Toronto’s Bad Dog Theatre and Comedy Bar on Bloor Street West are closing until further notice to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

10:15 a.m. EST: The president of France says all G-7 leaders will be holding a meeting to co-ordinate an economic response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Emmanuel Macron announced the planned teleconference in a tweet, but did not offer further details. Canada is part of the G-7, along with the United States, France, Italy, Britain, Japan and Germany. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not made any statements about a G-7 leaders’ meeting.

10:15 a.m. EST: Bell Canada says employees and service technicians returning from regions at risk or feeling unwell will stay at home for the recommended self-isolation period. In a notice the company says it will waive extra usage fees for all residential internet customers until April 30. Rogers is waiving extra usage fees on home internet service until May 31. Telus is waiving home internet overage charges for customers who are not on unlimited data plans and waiving all easy roam and pay-per-use roaming charges for prepaid mobility customers that are stranded outside North America and are unable to return to Canada. Telus is also providing support to customers facing financial challenges because of COVID-19 by providing them with flexible payment options.

9:49 a.m. EST Valencia’s Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay says that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the first Spanish league player to become infected. “I have tested positive for the coronavirus,” Garay wrote on a social media account Sunday. “I feel well and now the only thing to do is to follow the instructions of health officials to remain confined.”

9:45 a.m. EST: Nike is closing all retail stores in Canada, U.S. Australia and New Zealand to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The closures will take effect March 16 and last through at least March 27. Nike will continue to pay employees during the shutdown, the company said.

9:12 a.m. EST: The president of Switzerland’s soccer federation has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Swiss federation said 70-year-old Dominique Blanc got the results of a test on Sunday morning and isolated himself at his home.

7:35 a.m. EST English food retailers have written a joint letter to their customers asking them to “buy responsibly” in the wake of shoppers stockpiling over fears about coronavirus. Twelve of England’s biggest grocers published the appeal in advertisements in national newspapers on Sunday and will again on Monday. Under the title “Working to Feed the Nation,” they reassured shoppers about steps being taken to ensure adequate supplies in stores and asked them to be considerate: “We understand your concerns, but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without. There is enough for everyone if we all work together.”

7:17 a.m. EST: Iran has reported 113 more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the country’s death toll to 724 amid 13,938 confirmed cases. Iran has the worst outbreak in the Middle East and one of the worst outside China, where the virus first emerged late last year. The latest figures were announced by the Health Ministry. Iran’s official leading the response to the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East on Sunday acknowledged that the pandemic could overwhelm health facilities in the country, which is under severe U.S. sanctions.

7:15 a.m. EST: Austria’s Tyrol province is ordering a lockdown to fight the coronavirus, initially for a one-week period. The provincial governor, Guenther Platter, announced Sunday that people will be allowed to leave their homes only for reasons such as buying food and medicine, visiting the doctor, getting cash or walking the dog. Tyrol, an Alpine region that is popular with skiers, borders northern Italy and is one of the worst-hit areas of Austria, which already has largely shut down public life. The lockdown measures mirror those already taken by Italy and Spain. Austria has confirmed 758 cases of the new coronavirus and one death.

7:10 a.m. EST: Austria tightened restrictions on public life further on Sunday, banning public gatherings of more than five people, closing restaurants from Tuesday and calling on people to self-isolate as coronavirus cases in the country continued to climb. “I call on all Austrians to isolate themselves,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Twitter. “We’re aware those are massive restrictions but they are necessary to defend the health of the Austrian people and starve out COVID-19.” Kurz said people should leave their home only to get to work, get food or other necessities, or help other people. Police will start to enforce the ban today and close playgrounds, sport facilities and other venues, he said in a statement.

Overnight: France is closing restaurants, cafés and non-essential stores. It’s a drastic step for France, where the cafés never closed completely even during World War II. Banks, grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open in France and the first round of municipal elections on Sunday will go ahead.

Overnight: The YMCA of Greater Toronto has closed heath and fitness centres and cancelled all programs and services in those centres as of midnight Saturday and will reopen April 5. Cadillac Fairview malls’s Eaton Centre, Fairview Mall, Sherway Gardens, Shops at Don Mills are changing their operating hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. effective March 16. Those hours will remain in place for two weeks. Yorkdale mall’s regular shopping hours will remain. However, retailers may reduce their operating hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting March 16.

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