The number of people infected and dying from nCoV globally increased to 182,383 and 7,144, respectively, when there were thousands of new infections in many European countries.

Covid-19 continued to spread and complicated developments when appearing in 162 countries and territories.

Italy, the largest epidemic region in Europe and the second largest in the world, added 3,233 new infections and 349 deaths, bringing the number of cases and deaths nationwide to 27,980 and 2,158. Spain, Germany and France appeared more than 1,000 positive cases, bringing the number of cases to 9,942, 7,272 and 6,633, respectively.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday proposed that the leaders of the member states of the European Union (EU) temporarily block the block in order to prevent the disease from spreading. An EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the blockade would apply to 30 countries, including all member states except Ireland, and four non-EU countries, but Schengen.

Iran continues to be the second largest epidemic region in Asia, after mainland China, recording 1,053 new cases, bringing the number to 14,991. The country has enacted emergency measures to combat Covid-19, such as canceling mass meetings, limiting travel and releasing thousands of inmates but ineffective. Iran began a nationwide blockade on March 13, security forces were ordered to "clear the streets" and the entire population was monitored for the next 10 days.

Iranian officials fear the health facilities will be overloaded if new infections continue to rise. Iran is thought to have around 110,000 beds, of which 30,000 are in the capital Tehran. Officials pledge to set up mobile clinics when necessary.

In the US, the number of infections increased to 4,599 after the country appeared 919 new cases. The United States also recorded 18 more deaths, bringing the number of deaths to 86. A series of US states have declared a state of emergency, while many major cities have also ordered the closure of recreation and entertainment venues. to prevent the spread of disease.

China, the country most heavily affected by Covid-19, reported 21 new cases, bringing the total to 80,881, while the number of "imported" cases increased to 143. The number of deaths in mainland China is 3,226 now, an increase of 13 cases compared to yesterday. Wuhan, the heart of Covid-19, accounted for 11 of the new deaths. South Korea has not released new figures. However, the number of new infections in the country has dropped sharply in recent days.

In Southeast Asia, Malaysia blockaded the country, requiring its citizens not to go abroad and ban foreigners from entering when 566 people were infected with nCoV, becoming the largest epidemic zone in the region. Many cases were linked to a large-scale Islamic event held last month with the participation of nearly 20,000 people, including 14,500 Malaysian citizens, the rest from Bangladesh, Brunei, Philippines, and Singapore. and Thailand.

The world has recorded 629 more deaths, mostly in European countries, bringing the number of people died of nCoV to 7,144, mostly elderly and underlying diseases. Nearly 43% of the infections, or 78,342 people, have recovered.

Canada, France, Russia and many countries forbid foreigners from entering to cope with the spread of Covid-19. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced that the country would tighten border control from March 17, allowing only citizens and permanent residents, workers to work across borders, diplomats. and people with force majeure reasons are allowed to enter. Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Tunisia and Sudan also closed their land borders.

Covid-19 started in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province of China in December 2019. The epidemic situation in China seems to have been under control as the number of infections and deaths continues to decline, but Europe has become a focal point for complicated developments. The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared Covid-19 a global pandemic.