Coronavirus live updates: China reports 573 new cases

This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.

All times below are in Beijing time.

• Total confirmed cases: More than 85,000
• Total deaths: At least 2,943

4:51 pm: Italy to dedicate nearly $4 billion to fighting coronavirus

Italy will launch measures worth 3.6 billion euros, or $3.97 billion, to fight the coronavirus spread that has taken over large parts of the country, its economy minister told local press Sunday. Italy has seen by far the most coronavirus cases outside Asia, with more than 1,000 cases and 29 deaths as of Sunday morning local time.

4:02 pm: South Korea reports 210 new coronavirus cases

South Korea reported 210 new coronavirus cases on Sunday afternoon local time, after already announcing 376 new cases earlier in the day. It also reported its 18th death tied to the coronavirus.

The country's total infections come to 3,736, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, the largest concentration outside China. 

4:00 pm: WHO chief calls for calm in global markets

2:03 pm: Dubai's Emirates Group experiencing ‘slowdown' because of coronavirus

Business for Dubai's Emirates Group has undergone a “measurable slowdown” thanks to the coronavirus outbreak and is asking its employees to take leave, both paid and unpaid leave, Reuters reported, citing an internal company email seen by the news agency.

1:49 pm: Members of virus-stricken South Korean church visited Wuhan, authorities say

Some members from South Korea's Shincheonji church, the heart of the country's coronavirus outbreak, visited China's Wuhan in January, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday according to Reuters. The church's branch in Daegu, in the country's south-east, is where most of South Korea's cases were first discovered. A KCDC health official said he did not know how many of the people had gone to Wuhan or whether they were certain the visits led to the country's outbreak. 

Wuhan is where the virus was first identified and the epicenter of the viral outbreak.

12:55 pm: Thailand records first coronavirus death

Thailand recorded its first fatality from coronavirus, a 35-year-old man, Reuters reported, citing the director-general of Thailand's Department of Disease Control. The victim also was suffering from dengue fever. Since January, Thailand has reported a total of 42 cases, of whom 30 have recovered so far. —Kemp

12:20 pm: Australia reports first death from coronavirus

A 78-year-old man who had been in quarantine became Australia's first death from Wuhan coronavirus on Sunday, Reuters reported. The man was one of more than 150 Australians who was evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off Japan. The man's widow also caught the virus, Reuters said, but she is in stable condition. As of Sunday, Australia has confirmed a total of 26 cases. —Kemp

People wait in line to buy face masks from a post office near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on February 27, 2020.

Jung Yeon-je | AFP | Getty Images

10:40 am: American Airlines suspends flights to Milan

American Airlines suspended operations to and from Milan, effective until April 25. The carrier cited a reduction in demand for the suspension, which affects flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Miami International Airport. Milan is located within Italy's Lombardy region, which has been hit by a coronavirus outbreak. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday advised Americans to avoid travel to parts of Italy stricken by the virus. —Kemp

9:35 am: South Korea reports 376 new coronavirus cases

South Korea added another 376 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday morning, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 3,526. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were no additional fatalities and the death toll stands at 17 as of Sunday, 9 a.m. local time. South Korea has the largest number of confirmed cases outside mainland China, where most of the infections and deaths have occurred. —Tan

8 am: 573 new coronavirus cases in China

Mainland China reported 573 new, confirmed coronavirus cases on Feb. 29, up from 427 on the previous day, the country's health authority said on Sunday. The number of deaths stood at 35, down from 47 on the previous day, bringing the total death toll in mainland China to 2,870. Of the deaths, 34 were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. That province also saw 570 of the new cases. —Reuters

A worker at a fruit store wearing a face mask and using his mobile phone as he waits for the customers in Beijing, on February 29, 2020.

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5:20 am: Coronavirus could turn US presidential campaign upside down

Should the virus continue to spread, it may become impossible for the Democratic presidential campaigns in the United States to avoid changing their event schedules. As companies cancel events and limit travel in the name of caution, candidates are taking a risk by carrying on as normal.

“I think we'll see, pretty soon, decisions by the campaigns to limit rope line and scale back events to small-town halls and use technology like streaming to reach voters,” said Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration under Trump.

“Even if the risk doesn't merit these steps right now, it's important they consider the examples they set.” —Hirsch

1:14 am: US expands Iran travel restrictions over coronavirus, raises advisory for regions in South Korea and Italy

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