Lockdown

On the first day of Greece's nationwide restrictions on movement, authorities expressed satisfaction with the public's response to the toughened lockdown regulations aimed at stemming the spread of the new coronavirus. 

Effective from Monday, those going to or returning from their workplace have to carry a completed form detailing their residence, work address and working hours.

The possibility of a lockdown appears ever more likely, as many Greeks insist on treating the present quarantine measures as a sort of vacation, crowding open spaces and exiting Athens en masse to go to their ancestral villages, just as the death toll on Sunday rose to 15 and the number of confirmed infections to 624.

With the next two weeks deemed to be critical as regards the spread of the coronavirus, or Covid-19, the government has made it clear that it will take all necessary measures to contain it, with the possibility of a full lockdown being considered.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide kicked off the weekend under a coronavirus lockdown, as the global death toll accelerated sharply, and the World Health Organization warned young people they were "not invincible".

This weekend is billed as pivotal to the question of whether additional, more stringent measures are needed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including an outright ban on the movement of people. 

The world's richest nations prepared more costly measures on March 17 to combat the global fallout of the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people, triggered social restrictions unseen since World War Two and sent economies spinning toward recession.

Deaths, infections

With borders slamming shut, schools and businesses closing and increasingly drastic restrictions on movement, tens of millions of people were hunkered down on March 17, heeding government calls to isolate themselves and slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

From Southeast Asia to Europe to the Americas, people found their lives upended by lockdowns and social distancing.

We're bringing you the latest updates as Southeast and Central Europe brace for an increase in the number of official cases of the coronavirus, with more countries in the region announcing states of emergency, lockdowns and partial shutdowns.

On Monday the TV was on as I waited for my detective series to start when suddenly the screen went black, and the news intro music started playing.
It was an emergency broadcast from Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, addressing the nation about the extraordinary measures the government was taking to combat the new coronavirus.

An Australian extremist killed multiple Muslim worshippers during prayers on March 15, authorities said, in an apparently livestreamed attack that forced the New Zealand city of Christchurch into lockdown.