* In the US, New York City residents have been told they should be prepared for the possibility of a shelter-in-place order within days, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday. De Blasio said no decision had been made yet, but he wants city and state officials to make a decision within 48 hours, given the fast spread of the coronavirus.

* Serbia has introduced a country-wide dusk-to-dawn curfew for all citizens and banned people older than 65 from leaving their households as part of an emergency law intended to fight the spread of coronavirus in the Balkan country. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced one of Europe's harshest measures on Tuesday, saying they were intended to save lives. He said that the army is taking over hospitals, border checkpoints and 17 immigration centres in Serbia.

* German Chancellor Angela Merkel said late on Tuesday that European Union leaders had agreed in a conference call to the Commission's proposal for an entry ban to the bloc, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Britain, with "very, very limited exceptions" for 30 days. Germany will implement the decision immediately. The countries also agreed on the need to ensure continued cross-border travel for commuters, she said. Merkel said that there will be "grave, very grave consequences" for European economies as a result of the outbreak and that was one of the reasons to safeguard the flow of goods.

* Trading on the Mexican Stock Exchange was halted for 15 minutes after the key index fell by 7.12 per cent, triggering an automatic halt. The fall contrasted with sharp gains in US markets happening at the same time.

* Italy, the second hardest-hit country after China in the world's coronavirus pandemic, has announced a new figures that show it has one-third of the world's total deaths from the new virus. Italy on Tuesday added more than 3500 new positive cases, bringing its total to 31,506. In addition, another 345 people with the virus have died, bringing Italy's total deaths to 2503. Italy, which has the world's second-oldest population after Japan, has been blindsided by the virus that appears to be much more deadly for the elderly and the infirm. The Doctors Without Borders charity says Italy lacks key medical equipment like protective gloves or masks. "Nearly 1700 healthcare workers, or 8 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in Italy have been infected whilst tirelessly caring for the rising number of severely ill patients who require long-term hospitalisation," the group said.

* Spain, the fourth hardest-hit country, has requested medical supplies from China. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke as Beijing was preparing its first shipment of aid to the European country, according to the Chinese embassy in Madrid. Sanchez said the call for Chinese aid had been made a week earlier and that it was a subject he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a phone call on Tuesday. A spokesman from China's embassy in Spain said authorities in Beijing were readying a shipment of test kits, surgical masks and protection glasses.

* The US administration is urging the country's construction companies to donate their inventories of safety masks to hospitals and forgo new orders. US Vice President Mike Pence said the single-use N95 masks, which are designed to filter 95 per cent of airborne particles and commonly used in the construction industry, are "perfectly acceptable" for hospital use.

* South Africa says a cruise ship has been quarantined outside the port of Cape Town as a precaution after a crew member of a cargo ship who shared a flight with some passengers showed coronavirus symptoms.

* The Trump admiration is allowing people in the US to delay paying their taxes. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and President Donald Trump also said during a White House briefing that they want to send cheques to people in the next two weeks in an effort to curb the economic impact of the pandemic

* Brazil has recorded its first death related to the new coronavirus outbreak, according to Sao Paulo state's government. Authorities do not know where the patient was infected. Brazil has 234 confirmed cases of the virus, more than half in Sao Paulo. * As clocks around France struck noon, the police patrols commenced, stopping anyone outside to try to contain the spreading virus.France's government ordered the confinement as the number of virus cases topped 6600, including 148 deaths.

Australian Associated Press