Boris Johnson told the UK public they "must stay at home" during an unprecedented three-week lockdown as he announced wide-ranging restrictions on movement.
In a TV address to the nation at 8.30pm on Monday, the prime minister said police would disperse any gatherings of more than two people unless they were family members.
It came after scientists urged the government to do more to prevent excess coronavirus deaths and followed eports that large numbers of the public were flouting government advice on social distancing.
Meanwhile the Foreign Office told British tourists and travellers who are still abroad to get home quickly while flights are still available, and MPs debated emergency laws which would allow police to detain and isolate anyone they suspected of being infected with Covid-19. Some 336 people have now died in the UK, aged between 18 and 105.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are also in doubt after the IOC announced it was considering postponing the games until 2021. And in the US, Donald Trump has been lambasted by state leaders for his response to the pandemic. One told him: “Get off Twitter and do your job.”
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Boris Johnson imposes nationwide lockdown
Here's our full story on the three-week lockdown just announced by Boris Johnson.
UK imposes nationwide lockdown
PM says tough measures will be reviewed in three weeks, and admits that 'many' more people will die"I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.
"And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.
"And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.
"But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost."
Police will have powers to enforce restrictions, by imposing fines and dispersing gatherings, Boris Johnson says.
The government is also closing all shops selling non-essential goods, and premises such as libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and churches.
"We will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with - and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals," he added.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.
Boris Johnson said the public will only be allowed to leave their home for "very limited purposes".
They include:
Shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
One form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household
Any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
Travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.
"That’s all - these are the onlyreasons you should leave your home," the PM added.
"You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.
"You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.
"You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine — and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can."
"Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses," the prime minister says.
"From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.
"Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households."
The prime minister is expected to announce further restrictions on daily life in a TV address to the nation starting at 8.30pm.
You can watch it online here:
Third Covid-19 patient dies in Northern Ireland
Stormont's health minister has warned that restrictions on movement in Northern Ireland will be introduced within days, following the death of a third patient.
The victim, aged in their late sixties, died in the Greater Belfast area and had underlying health conditions.
Robin Swann said: "This is the third tragic announcement of this kind I have had to make in recent days.
"The lethal threat from this virus is very real and we all have to do everything we can to combat it."
First Minister Arlene Foster said the powersharing executive would not hesitate to introduce a "lock-down", working in conjunction with police, if that is what health experts advised.
Emergency legislation to respond to the coronavirus outbreak has cleared its first Commons hurdle, with MPs giving the bill an unopposed second reading.
Thieves broke in to a primary school and stole freezers and food that would have fed key workers' children during the coronavirus pandemic.
Staff at Gosfield School, near Braintree, Essex, discovered the raid on Mother's Day and had to call children to bring a packed lunch when they came in on Monday.
However the school have since been "overwhelmed" with offers of help from the local community.
Registrar Caro Daniels said: "We have seen the very worst of humanity and the very best of it today.
"We've had so many offers of help. Restaurants that haven't been able to use their food. People ringing and saying, 'We will give you money'. People have offered to lend us freezers.
Ms Daniels said the thieves took "everything they could get their hands on".
"They took about £6,000 worth of food. All of the dry goods, even the catering equipment, things like clingfilm, plastic rubber gloves, literally everything they could get their hands on."
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in the United States surged past 500 on Monday.
The total number of victims now stands at 573, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases across the world. It represents a significant jump from the previously recorded toll of 499.
The number of confirmed infections in the US is now 41,708.
Jordan has said it will indefinitely extend a full curfew, where citizens cannot leave their homes, and even supermarkets and pharmacies are closed, in an attempt to rein in the coronavirus.
Instead the authorities will deliver food, water and supplies like gas cylinders, baby milk and basic medicines to the population to ensure people remain in their houses.
The Middle East Kingdom first launched the lockdown on Saturday morning with an air-raid, signalling the start of some of the most extreme measures any country has adopted.
More than 800 people have been arrested for violating the restrictions since then.
Confirmed cases in the country of 10 million have steadily risen within a week to 112 cases from six. There have been no deaths.
Minister of State for Media Amjad Adailah said Monday the government had made arrangements with municipal councils to deliver enough bread, water, gas cylinders and basic medicines across the country for the rest of the week.
The country has also deployed thousands of troops at checkpoints in main cities to limit movement.
“There are people who do not know the extent of the danger that is lurking and insist on breaking the law,” said army spokesman Brigadier General Mukhles al Mufleh.
Many British travellers are stranded abroad and struggling to get home as air routes continue to be axed and borders close.
Here are some escape routes to try if you’re heading back to the UK, writes travel correspondent Simon Calder.
How British travellers stranded abroad can get back to the UK
As the barriers go up and the options come down, this is the position as at 5.30pm on 23 MarchWHO targeted by hackers amid pandemic
Hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier this month but were unsuccessful, according to a report from Reuters news agency.
WHO chief information security officer Flavio Aggio said the identity of the hackers was unclear but warned that hacking attempts against the agency and its partners have soared recently.
The activity is thought to have begun nearly two weeks ago, when a group of cybercriminals activated a malicious site mimicking the WHO's internal email system.
UN sets up global coronavirus fund
The United Nations will create a global fund to prevent the spread of coronavirus and support the treatment of patients worldwide, Norway said on Monday.
The money will be aimed at helping developing countries with weak health systems in addressing the immediate crisis and tackling the long-term consequences.
UN to create global fund to support treatment of coronavirus patients
‘It is in the interests of a wealthy country to contribute to a global response,’ says UN secretary-general Antonio GuterresAs the number of confirmed cases jumped by 128 to 402, Mr Ramaphosa said that the government needed to urgently and dramatically to escalate its response to curb the spread of coronavirus.
"From midnight on Thursday 26 March until midnight on Thursday 16 April, all South Africans will have to stay at home," Ramaphosa said, adding that people would still be able to leave their homes to seek medical care, buy food or collect a social grant.
"While this measure will have a considerable impact on people's livelihoods, on the life of our society and on our economy, the human cost of delaying this action would be far, far greater."
Police will be given powers to break up groups of more than three people who fail to keep their distance in public in the Netherlands.
The new measure, which tightens and extends the existing ban on public gatherings until June 1, was described by prime minister Mark Rutte as a "targeted lockdown".
Fines could range from 400 euros for individuals to 4,000 euros for companies.
Etihad Airways has announced that only citizens of the United Arab Emirates or diplomats will be able to board its flights from overseas destinations - and only if their final destination is Abu Dhabi.
Anyone booked on a connecting flight via Abu Dhabi will not be able to travel and should not go to the airport.
It follows Foreign Office advice to British tourists abroad that they should return home while flights are still available.
The president of Cyprus has announced a ban on all non-essential travel from Tuesday until 3 April.
Nicos Anastasiades said the measure was necessary because of the failure of the public to observe government warnings.
"Despite the measures we have taken, the thousands of workers' sacrifices, the suffering of parents for their children who remain abroad, there are disciplinary behaviors, a lack of self-respect and responsibility that put the entire population at risk," he said.
Here's the breakdown by NHS region:
London: 2,433
And the top five local authorities:
Hampshire: 171
Southwark: 154
Brent: 143
Birmingham: 137
Lambeth: 134
Source: UK government coronavirus tracker
The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has risen to 6,650, up from 5,683 on Sunday.
Nearly 84,000 people have now been tested for Covid-19. As we reported earlier, the number of deaths has increased by 54 since yesterday, to 335.
