Nearly one billion people confined to homes globally to curb virus

Close to one billion people worldwide were confined to ir homes on Saturday as global coronavirus death toll shot past 11,000 and US states rolled out lockdown measures already imposed across swas of Europe.

pandemic has completely upended lives across planet, restricting movement, shutting schools and forcing millions to work from home. While President Donald Trump insisted United States was "winning" war against virus, individual states dramatically ramped up restrictions, with New York and Illiis joining California in ordering residents to stay home.

virus death toll surged past 11,000 worldwide, with 4,000 alone in worst-hit Italy where daily number of fatalities has shot up relentlessly over past week. An estimated 900 million people are w confined to ir homes in 35 countries around world including 600 million hemmed in by obligatory government lockdown orders according to an AFP tally.

While elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions are hardest hit by virus, World Health Organization warned that young people were also vulnerable. "Today I have a mess for young people: you are t invincible. This virus could put you in hospital for weeks -- or even kill you," WHO chief Tedros Adham Ghebreyesus said.

"Even if you don't get sick, choices you make about where you go could be difference between life and death for someone else." China on Saturday reported new local infections for a third straight day, and WHO said central Chinese city of Wuhan, where virus emerged late last year, offered a glimmer of "hope for rest of world". But re are growing concerns of a new wave of "imported" infections in region, with Hong Kong reporting 48 suspected cases on Friday its biggest daily jump since crisis began. Many of m have a recent history of travel to or from Europe.

Italy reported its worst single day death toll Friday, adding ar 627 fatalities and taking its reported total to 4,032 despite efforts to stem spread. nation of 60 million w accounts for 36 percent of world's coronavirus deaths and its death rate of 8.6 percent among confirmed infections is significantly higher than in most or countries.

France, Italy, Spain and or European countries have ordered people to stay at home, threatening fines in some cases, while Bavaria became first region in Germany to order a lockdown. Britain, falling in line with its EU neighbours, also anunced tougher restrictions, telling pubs, restaurants and atres to close and promising to help cover ws of affected workers.

Australia's famed Bondi beach was also ordered shut after sunbars crowded hotspot in defiance of government orders to avoid n-essential outdoor garings. "This is t something we are doing because we are 'fun police'... this is about saving lives," New South Wales state Police Minister David Elliott told reporters.

With virus fears gripping United States, its largest state California -- with over 1,000 cases and 19 deaths -- told its 40 million residents to stay at home. New York state, which has reported over 7,000 cases and 39 deaths, followed suit on Friday, ordering its nearly 20 million residents to do same from Sunday evening.

Trump applauded New York and California decisions, but said he did t think a nationwide lockdown was needed. "Those are really two hotbeds," he said. "I don't think we'll ever find (a US-wide lockdown) necessary." Shortly after president spoke, goverr of Illiis ordered residents of midwestern state to stay at home and Connecticut goverr did same.

restrictions so far imposed in seven states cover around 100 million people, with country's three most populous cities -- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago under lockdown. Trump also anunced Friday that US and Mexico have agreed to restrict n-essential travel across ir border.

And US lawmakers on Friday evening missed a deadline to reach an agreement on a $1 trillion emergency pack, amid fears of widespread ecomic fallout because of pandemic. Strict confinement measures across Europe follow template set by China, as a lockdown imposed in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is capital, appeared to have paid off. Europe w accounts for more than half of world's fatalities linked to COVID-19.

Accurate figures are difficult to come by, however, as many of those who die suffer from or illnesses and infection rates are uncertain because of a lack of testing in many countries. In a sign of shifting centre of crisis, China has sent medical supplies to European nations struggling to cope with pandemic, including Greece which received 500,000 medical masks from Beijing Saturday. shadow of virus is lengning across Africa and Middle East too.

Democratic Republic of Congo reported its first death Saturday, while Burkina Faso reported two new deaths, bringing total number of fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa to five. Cases stand at over 1,000 across Africa, where health care systems are fragile and social distancing is t possible in many crowded cities.

In Iran, which reported 123 new deaths Saturday, both supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani promised country would overcome outbreak but still refused to join rest of world in imposing heavy restrictions. country has more than 1,500 deaths and some 20,000 infections.

In Latin America, Cuba and Bolivia both anunced y were closing ir borders, and Colombia said it would begin mandatory isolation from Tuesday. Rio de Janeiro's beaches will be off-limits to sunseekers from Saturday, leaving street vendors worried how y will survive with limited government support. 

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