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"We lose thousands and thousands of people a year to the flu. We don't turn the country off," the US President said overnight.

"If we don't handle these 21 days well, then our country, your family will go backwards by 21 years," Indian PM Narendra Modi said.

During a live town hall broadcast on Fox News Channel, US President Donald Trump said he would like to have businesses opening their doors again by Easter, on April 12.

Shortly after Mr Trump's remarks, three major US health organisations - representing the nation's doctors, nurses and hospitals - issued a public plea to Americans to stay home.

India's total lockdown for 21 days will include a suspension of road, air and rail services.

Doctors in Spain have complained of a lack of basic protective equipment as the latest figures revealed that Spanish healthcare workers account for more than 13% of the country's 39,673 cases.

So severe is Spain's situation that Madrid's ice rink has been hastily transformed into a makeshift mortuary.

Hopes the situation is easing in Italy have been dashed as deaths surged in the last 24 hours as was the case in Britain posted its biggest daily rise in deaths overnight.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said the peak of the UK outbreak was expected "in a matter of a couple of months". He also confirmed plans to open a makeshift hospital at a London exhibition centre to treat as many as 4000 people.

And, finally, Olympics organisers said 'game over': the 2020 Olympics have been postponed.

Meanwhile, Australia's national cabinet overnight agreed to a range of further restrictions on gatherings in addition to a ban on non-essential overseas travel to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

From restrictions on food courts to real estate auctions and home inspections as well as limited numbers at funerals and weddings, the PM detailed them last night. Here's a dot-point summary. No doubt the reaction will continue throughout the day.

Let's leave on a positive ... Chinese authorities will end a two-month lockdown in hard-hit Hubei province where the coronavirus outbreak first began.

Catch up with us from around the nation late this afternoon.

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