Authorities around the world turned to increasingly drastic measures to try to slow the spread of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Sunday, with lockdowns, curfews and travel restrictions spreading. Soldiers and police sealed the densely populated Philippine capital from most domestic travellers in one of Southeast Asia's most drastic containment moves. The move mirrored a lockdown Spain announced just hours earlier for its 46 million citizens.

In Italy, the worst-hit European country, the number of deaths climbed past 1,400 and infections surged roughly 20 per cent overnight to more than 21,000 because of what authorities characterised as irresponsible behaviour by people still socialising despite the nationwide lockdown. In Britain, the death toll nearly doubled from the day before to 21, and the number of people infected rose to over 1,100. Ireland had 90 confirmed cases and one death as of Friday. Greece's infection total approached 230 with three deaths.