More than 3.9 billion people, or half of the world’s population, are now being called on to remain in their homes to combat COVID-19, according to an AFP tally on Thursday.

The measures – which include compulsory or recommended confinement, curfews and quarantines – are in place in more than 90 countries and territories. The introduction of a curfew in Thailand, which takes effect on Friday, pushed the number past half of the global population of 7.8 billion.

Some 2.78 billion residents of 49 countries and territories are currently subject to obligatory confinement at home.

A resident of the White House estate, a private condominium of 226 mostly unsanitary dwellings, collects food offered by neighbours from his balcony, using a rope made with blankets yesterday in Marseille, southern France, on the fifteenth day of a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19

A map from 26 March shows how many countries had placed their citizens under a full or partial lockdown in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Countries in red have announced restrictions on movement of all or most of their citizens around the clock in response to the virus. Those in amber have restricted the movement of only some citizens or for only part of the day, such as evening curfews. Those in green have either light restrictions or no restrictions on their own citizens, but may have brought in other international measures such border closures and flight bans. Today’s announcement has stretched the number of those locked down to almost half of the world’s population

A view from Ritsona camp in the Greek capital Athens today. In a camp, 20 residents tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The Ritsona camp, located around 49 miles north of Athens, was immediately placed into a full lockdown for two weeks

In Europe, the likes of Britain, France, Italy and Spain are under restrictions. In Asia, similar rules apply to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka among others.

Large parts of the US are under some kind of lockdown and even relatively isolated New Zealand has not been spared.

Although COVID-19 arrived in Africa later than other regions, countries as distant as Morocco and South Africa have begun to take action.

A boy looks out from a common balcony of a residential building during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kolkata today

Mansour Hamid, 31, a senior video editor at a private company, takes a break looking outside from his apartment balcony, as he works on a video project at his home in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

Eritrea joined the list on Thursday, ordering its citizens to remain in their homes for 21 days.

Egyptian Mohamed Adel plays violin on his balcony during curfew in Giza, Egypt yesterday. Egyptian authorities have announced a two-week curfew, which started on 25 March, during which public transportation will be suspended to avoid the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease

In most places, people are still able to get out of the house to make vital purchases, such as food or medicine or to go to work, though residents are encouraged to work from home if possible.

In at least 10 other countries, totalling 600 million people, governments are urging residents to stay at home, but without introducing any coercive measures such as fines or arrests.

This is the case in Germany, Canada, Mexico and Iran among others.

A man rides a bicycle as a woman sits behind along a deserted street during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Allahabad today

At least 26 other nations or territories, accounting for some 500 million inhabitants, have introduced curfews, obliging people to stay at home throughout the evening and night. This method is much used in African countries including Kenya, Egypt and Mali and Latin American nations including Chile, Panama and Puerto Rico.

In at least seven countries, the governments have focused on the main population centres. Bans are now in place on anyone leaving or entering the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh, Medina and Mecca. Finland has introduced similar rules for Helsinki and DR Congo for Kinshasa. These restrictions cover over 30 million residents.

According to figures released on Tuesday, the pandemic has infected more than 700,000 people around the world.

There have been at least 721,595 cases including 33,881 fatalities in 183 countries and territories, according to official sources.

The United States has the largest outbreak in the world with 143,055 confirmed virus patients, of whom 2,514 have died.

Italy has the unwanted lead in deaths, recording a death toll of 10,779 people out of 97,689 confirmed cases.

China, where the outbreak first emerged in December 2019, has officially registered 81,470 cases and 3,340 deaths.

Some 3.4billion people are now living under severe lockdown restrictions which would have been unthinkable in many democracies until a few weeks ago.