Coronavirus: As UK resists lockdown measures and testing slows, how countries around the world are fighting Covid-19

Dramatic travel bans, lockdowns and increased testing elsewhere come as UK accused of ‘wooden’ response

Countries around the world have installed portable sinks at bus stations, locked down schools and even banned travel from entire countries as they battle coronavirus.

More than 126,000 people have been infected across the world so far, and 4,600 have died after contracting the disease. Some 68,000 have recovered. In the UK, there have been 590 confirmed cases and 10 deaths.

The UK government’s response has been criticised as “wooden” by a former public health official who warned that “we’ve wasted a month”, as a medical journal editor accused ministers of “playing roulette” with the public’s safety.

Boris Johnson was expected to approve a shift to the “delay” phase at a COBR meeting on Thursday, which will encourage people to practice social distancing and employees to work from home.

Ireland

Irish premier Leo Varadkar announced on Thursday that all schools will be closed and all public gatherings cancelled effective from tonight for two weeks. Childcare facilities will also be temporarily shut.

Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor meetings of ore than 500 will be cancelled. Recommendations were also made for museums, galleries and tourist sites to close as authorities work to contain the outbreak, which has infected 43 people.

Mr Varadkar’s deputy Simon Coveney said: “These are the right measures, at the right time. If we have a collective national response we will save potentially thousands of lives.”

United States

Donald Trump announced a ban on all travel from Europe ​into the US – excluding the UK and Ireland – and urged sick people to stay at home. In an address from the Oval Office, he boasted that the US has “fewer cases than in Europe” and added: “The EU failed to take the same precautions.”

Just a few weeks ago, he said several times that people who are sick should still go to work despite US public health officials urging them to stay home. In his address on Wednesday, he backtracked on those statements in an attempt to contain the spread.

Italy

There have been some 12,462 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 800 deaths in Italy, prompting the government to order a lockdown and order all shops except supermarkets, food stores and chemists closed on Wednesday night.

Prime minister Giuseppe Conte said: “Industries can stay open, but with strict measures in place, as well as essential services such as banks. Transport will be guaranteed.”

According to the Agence France-Presse news agency, Rome’s Ciampino airport will close to passenger flights effective from midnight on Friday. A terminal at the city’s main Fiumicino facility will also be closed on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Italy effectively quarantined its population of 62 million people by banning them from all travel unless justified on professional or health grounds.

Denmark

All schools, kindergartens and universities have closed in Denmark for the next two weeks as the country enters a lockdown to slow the spread of the virus. Indoor events with more than 100 people have also been banned and all public sector workers in non-critical roles will be sent home, beginning on Friday.

The country has 617 confirmed cases.

Norway

The Norwegian government has shut its borders to countries worst-hit by coronavirus, and has also halted a Nato military exercise in its Arctic region.

India

In one of the most far-reaching responses by any government, India has effectively banned all travellers from entering the country, suspending visas for visitors from all other nations for at least a month.

The drastic travel ban will be enforced from Friday onwards. It came as the number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 72 on Thursday, fuelling fears the country’s densely populated cities and poor health system would make the outbreak almost impossible to contain.

The health ministry also said that “all Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid all non-essential travel abroad” and may be subjected to a 14-day quarantine on their return.

South Korea

As one of the most severely affected countries outside mainland China, South Korea expanded fever screening and other monitoring measures for people arriving from certain European countries, and set up a call centre in the capital Seoul to try and track down new clusters of infections.

The country’s total number of infections rose to 7,869, with 67 deaths, after authorities confirmed 114 new cases and six more deaths. Authorities said they remained vigilant even though the most recent numbers marked a relative decline in new cases.

Yoon Tae-ho, director-general of public health policy, told a briefing: “It is too early to say we are overcoming the disease. We are still witnessing sporadic outbreaks so we cannot lower our guard.”

He urged people to avoid public gatherings and maintain a distance from other people.

Rwanda

Despite not having recorded any cases of the virus so far, Rwanda is taking measures to stop the spread by installing portable sink for hand-washing at bus stops, restaurants, banks, and shops across its capital, Kigali.

The new sinks were put in place as the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed its first case on Tuesday.

China

Around two-thirds of global coronavirus cases have been recorded in China’s Hubei province, where the virus was first identified in Wuhan in December. However, in recent weeks, more new cases have been emerging outside of China, prompting a senior Chinese medical advisor to declare the “peak of the epidemic has passed for China”.

China implemented strict draconian measures to contain the spread of the virus, cutting off all transport in and out of Wuhan, constructing new hospitals within days, and penalising anyone who left their homes without reason.

On Thursday, the country reportedly shut down access to Mount Everest on the Chinese-controlled side. According to ABC News, the Nepal side of the mountain is still open for mountaineers.

Iran

Some 1,075 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Iran in just 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 10,075 and the death toll to 429 on Thursday.

Iranian rulers have been struggling to contain the virus and have ordered the closure of schools and universities, and suspended religious, cultural and sports events throughout the nation. Health minister Said Namaki urged citizens to stay at home and added: “Don’t go shopping. You are making our job more difficult by ignoring the advice.”

A number of senior officials, politicians, clerics and members of the elite Revolutionary Guards have also been infected. Seven officials and politicians have died since 19 February, when Iran first announced infections.

Iran is the fourth-worst affected nation after China, South Korea and Italy.

Australia

One hundred free pop-up testing clinics and tele-health services will be set up throughout Australia as part of the federal government’s AU$2.4bn (£1.2bn) health response to the outbreak, the Canberra Times reported.

Over-the-phone medical advice will be available from Friday, and each pop-up clinic is expected to handle 75 patients per day. Pop-up clinics are already available in Melbourne and South Australia, said health minister Greg Hunt.

As of Thursday, the Australian government has added travel restrictions on people arriving from Italy, joining restrictions on travellers from anywhere in mainland China, Iran or South Korea.