Governments around the world stepped up restrictions on daily life, and the movement of people in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. More than 153,000 people have been confirmed to have the virus globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of dead has risen to nearly 5,800 people.

Countries imposing strict restrictions on citizens, travel and arrivals from overseas included Spain, Australia, Germany and the United States where new measures fuelled chaos at airports.

Over 1,800 killed so far in Italy, the worst-hit country after China, with total number of cases hitting nearly 25,000.

Italy on Sunday reported 368 new deaths from the coronavirus outbreak as the country's death toll hit 1,809 while the number of positive cases rose to 24,747 from 21,157 on Saturday, the country's civil protection authority said.

Governments around the world have stepped up restrictions on the movement of their citizens to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 5,800 people with over 153,000 infected globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Spain became the second European country to impose a nationwide lockdown after 2,000 new cases were confirmed and the number of reported deaths doubled.

Iran announced more than 100 people have died in the past 24 hours, with the confirmed cases nearing 14,000. Tehran said its fight against coronavirus is being severely hampered by US sanctions.

In the Philippines, the capital Manila has been sealed off, with its 12 million residents told to avoid travel for a month. Schools in the city have been closed and large events banned.

In the United States, increased screening measures for people returning from Europe have caused chaos at airports.