A man wearing a protective mask reads newspaper in Guatemala City, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei effectively closed off Guatemala late Monday to all non-Guatemalans or permanent residents and ordered a suspension of all non-essential activities. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
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Borders have slammed shut, schools and businesses have closed and increasingly draconian restrictions on movement have been enforced to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Here are some of the latest developments on Tuesday:
VIRUS KEEPS MOVING WEST
Tens of millions of people are hunkered down, so gripped by fear that they are heeding government calls to isolate themselves and slow the spread of the coronavirus. Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus was first detected late last year and which has been under lockdown for weeks, reported just one new case Tuesday. The fronts in the battle have clearly shifted outside China, with its caseload now outnumbered by those outside its borders. Countries from Canada to Switzerland, Russia and Malaysia announced sharp new restrictions on the movement of people across their borders. The border closures stopped not only people but also needed goods.
MAJOR EVENTS POSTPONED OR DISRUPTED
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing the postponement and disruption of events big and small - and very big. The European Championship soccer tournament has been postponed for one year, upending a tradition that dominates European life for a full month every four years. The tournament was set to begin June 12 but has been rescheduled for June 2021. In the United States, the virus created uncertainty for the Democratic presidential primary after leaders in the state of Ohio called off a Tuesday election hours before polls were expected to open. Officials in Florida, Arizona and Illinois said voting would take place, but people had difficulty getting to the polls in the morning.
VIRUS REALITY TO HIT GERMAN 'œBIG BROTHER'ť PARTICIPANTS
Germany's Big Brother reality show participants are living in oblivion of the coronavirus outbreak - but not for much longer. On Tuesday evening, they will be informed about the pandemic that has brought many countries around the globe to a standstill. In a special show airing Tuesday at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT), contestants living in isolation near the western German city of Cologne will be informed about the virus pandemic by a physician and the show's host. The participants have been cut off from the outside world since Feb. 6.
THE IMPACT ON AIR POLLUTION
The European Union's space agency says its earth-observation satellites have detected a significant reduction in the pollutant nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of the use of diesel motors and other human activities, in northern Italy as the advance of COVID-19 has led to drastic measures curtailing ordinary life. The agency's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said that with the 'œabrupt changes in activity levels'ť in northern Italy, it has tracked a weekly 'œreduction trend'ť of nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, for the last four to five weeks. Similar drops in pollutants were detected in China a fter the government there implemented widespread shutdowns to try and slow the spread of COVID-19.
DAYS OF DENIAL IN IRAN ALLOWED VIRUS TO SPREAD
Iran, which now has the third-highest number of deaths worldwide, provides an example of the importance of imposing measures early. Days of denials at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak gave the disease time to spread. Officials ignored the problem as Iran marked the 41st anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution with mass demonstrations and then held a parliamentary election in which they sought to boost turnout. Even now, they seem unwilling to stop travel between cities as affected towns threaten to set up their own checkpoints to turn away outsiders. By contrast, Iraq and Lebanon have restricted movement and have a fraction of the reported infections.
PRESIDENT TRUMP ADOPTS MORE SOMBER TONE
President Donald Trump has struck a more urgent tone when speaking of the coronavirus pandemic after weeks of trying to play down its risk. In a somber message, Trump made a direct appeal to all Americans to do their part to halt the pandemic's spread. The shift was informed in part by a growing realization that the coronavirus crisis is an existential threat to Trump's presidency, endangering his reelection and his legacy.
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A customer wearing a face mask and gloves goes shopping in the early morning in a supermarket in the Berlin district of Friedenau, Germany, Tuesday, March 17, 2020 In order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, the German government has considerably restricted public life. Only for most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)
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FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2020 file photo, a commuter looks through a water-stained window wearing a mask and gloves to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, on a public bus in downtown Tehran, Iran. Nine out of 10 cases of the virus in the Middle East come from the Islamic Republic. Days of denials gave the virus time to spread as the country marked the 41st anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran also held a parliamentary election in which authorities desperately sought to boost turnout. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
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A masked man walks on the empty Trocadero as Police officers patrol in background, next to the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron said that starting on Tuesday, people would be allowed to leave the place they live only for necessary activities such as shopping for food, going to work or taking a walk. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Police officers wearing protective masks check the paper of a cyclist at a control point at the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. France is imposing nationwide restrictions on how far from their homes people can go and for what purpose as part of the country's strategy to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
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A protester in a gas mask takes part in a rally in front of the parliament building in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Protesters demanded lawmakers to stop working amid nation-wide quarantine in order to prevent hastily adopting unpopular laws. In an additional set of measures preventing the spread of the new coronarivus, Ukrainian authorities ruled to close public places except food markets, pharmacies and gas stations starting from Tuesday in Kyiv and other regions, and restrict the use of public transport from Kyiv to other Ukrainian cities. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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Workers of the fire department and the Red Cross take samples for coronavirus tests from car drivers at a mobile test station in Oberhausen, Germany, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. All public and private events are banned in Germany, clubs, bars restaurants and most shops are closed due to the virus outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
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A man looks toward the skyline from Bernal Heights Hill in San Francisco, Monday, March 16, 2020. Officials in six San Francisco Bay Area counties issued a shelter-in-place mandate Monday affecting nearly 7 million people, including the city of San Francisco itself. The order says residents must stay inside and venture out only for necessities for three weeks starting Tuesday in a desperate attempt by officials to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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A man crosses the Eusebio Ayala Avenue bereft of traffic, during curfew in Asuncion, Paraguay, Monday, March 16, 2020. Authorities have decreed a curfew from 8pm to 4am in an attempt to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover in about two to six weeks from the virus, depending on the severity of the illness. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
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A United States flag is reflected in the window of the Nasdaq studio, which displays indices and stocks down, in Times Square, New York, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Protesters in face masks take part in a rally in front of the parliament building in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Protesters demanded lawmakers to stop working amid nation-wide quarantine in order to prevent hastily adopting unpopular laws. In an additional set of measures preventing the spread of the new coronarivus, Ukrainian authorities ruled to close public places except food markets, pharmacies and gas stations starting from Tuesday in Kyiv and other regions, and restrict the use of public transport from Kyiv to other Ukrainian cities. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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An employee works to produce face masks in the Miroglio group factory in Alba, Northern Italy, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. In order to face the coronavirus emergency, the factory was converted to the production of masks. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
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Protesters in protective suits and masks take part in a rally in front of the parliament building in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Protesters demanded lawmakers to stop working amid nation-wide quarantine in order to prevent hastily adopting unpopular laws. In an additional set of measures preventing the spread of the new coronarivus, Ukrainian authorities ruled to close public places except food markets, pharmacies and gas stations starting from Tuesday in Kyiv and other regions, and restrict the use of public transport from Kyiv to other Ukrainian cities. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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An Alitalia employee waits at the desk the Leonardo Da Vinci airport, in Rome, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems.(Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
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Journalists have their temperatures checked before a coronavirus task force briefing, at the White House, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Learners wear masks as they sanitise their hans at a pre-school in Lenasia, Johannesburg, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, on the day schools closed in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus. For most people the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms but for others is can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Shiraaz Mohamed)
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A barrier tape closes off a playground in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. German government had announced measure to curb the coronavirus outbreak in the country late Monday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
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Police officers wearing protective masks wave a car into a control point at the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. France is imposing nationwide restrictions on how far from their homes people can go and for what purpose as part of the country's strategy to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
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Workers load election materials into a truck for moving to different location, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The New York Board of Elections is discussing whether or not to delay the state's April presidential primary due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The number of confirmed cases in New York has shot up to over 1,300. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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People walk across the Alexanderplatz a shopping area in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP)
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A sanitary glove lies on the pavement of a deserted street just after nationwide confinement measures came into effect, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Marseille, southern France. French President Emmanuel Macron announced strong restrictions on freedom of movement in a bid to counter the new coronavirus, as the European Union closed its external borders to foreign travelers. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
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