Coronavirus: Countries enforce mass closures to stem spread

Schools have been closed, sports events cancelled and cultural institutions shut around the world as countries try to stem the coronavirus outbreak.

In the US, all major sport has been suspended and Broadway performances are off for a month.

Meanwhile, France is one of the latest European countries to close all schools, universities and nurseries.

More than 125,000 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in 118 countries around the world, according to the World Health Organization. The total number of deaths is more than 4,600.

Some of the world’s top museums and galleries have now shut their doors.

The Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are closing until the end of March.

In the US, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the world, said it was temporarily closing all three of its locations in the city. All Smithsonian museums in Washington DC and New York City will close from Saturday.

New York State’s Governor Andrew Cuomo banned all gatherings of more than 500, prompting Broadway to suspend all its performances for a month.

Chart showing confirmed cases rising outside China, 12 March

Disney announced it would shut its theme parks in Florida and Paris until the end of the month. It earlier said it was closing its California park from Saturday amid a wave of Covid-19 infections in the state.

In the world of film, the release of the latest Fast and Furious instalment was pushed back by 11 months, one of a number of movies to postpone opening dates. And the Tribeca Film Festival was postponed in the US.

Also on Thursday, Qatar announced the closure of all cinemas, theatres, gyms, play areas and museums.



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