Latest on the coronavirus: Britain in lockdown as WHO warns pandemic 'accelerating'

Britain was under lockdown on March 24, its population joining around 1.7 billion people around the globe ordered to stay indoors to curb the "accelerating" spread of the coronavirus.

Across Europe, Asia, North America, the Middle East and parts of Africa, governments have told their citizens to remain at home as they grapple with a disease that has claimed thousands of lives - and shows no signs of slowing.

But in a sign of hope, China's central Hubei province, where the deadly coronavirus first emerged late last year, is to lift travel curbs after two months under lockdown. But fears rose over the second wave of infections fuelled by people arriving from overseas.

After two months living with draconian curbs on daily life, residents will be allowed to leave Hubei from midnight on March 24if healthy, while Wuhan city - the initial epicenter of the outbreak - will end restrictions from April 8.

The global shutdown continued to throw up horrifying tales; soldiers in Spain tasked with fighting the outbreak reported finding abandoned elderly people - some dead - at retirement homes.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the global pandemic was clearly "accelerating." The number of coronavirus deaths has topped 16,500, with more than 378,000 declared infections in 174 countries and territories.

Tedros said it took 67 days from the beginning of the outbreak in China in December for the virus to infect the first 100,000 people worldwide.

In comparison, it required only 11 days for the second 100,000 cases and just four days for the third 100,000, he said.

Tedros acknowledged that many countries were struggling to take more aggressive measures because of a lack of resources but said "we...