LIVE: Countries across the world dispatch aid flights to coronavirus hotspots

A handout picture released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 2, 2020, shows labourers unloading medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided bt the World Health Organisation, from a United Arab Emirates military transport plane upon their arrival at Mehrabad International Airport in Iran's capital Tehran. (File/AFP)
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DUBAI: Countries around the world have been standing in solidarity to help bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic that killed above 100,000 people worldwide.

Countries across the Middle East have been repatriating their stranded citizens abroad and carrying out thousands of daily medical examinations.

Aid has also been sent to coronavirus hotspots in an attempt to help governments with their medical stocks.

Kuwait was one of the states that received an Indian Air Force plane carrying medical supplies to help the state curb the coronavirus spread, state news agency KUNA reported on Saturday.

Sunday, April 12 (All times in GMT)

18:02 - Spain's overnight death toll from coronavirus rose for the first time in three days on Sunday, to 619, health ministry data showed, bringing the cumulative toll to 16,972. 

17:57 - Jordan on Sunday extended a month-long lockdown that has closed schools, universities and government agencies until the end of the month to stem the spread of coronavirus, the government spokesman said.
Amjad Adailah said Prime Minister Omar Razzaz took the decision in light of "developments and recommendations" related to the pandemic.
The country announced on March 20 a nationwide curfew that closed shops and prohibited the movement of people. It came days after the monarch enacted emergency law that gave the government sweeping powers that restrict civil and political rights.

17:50 - Dubai Health Authority has decided to start using blood plasma from patients who have recovered from coronavirus to treat critical cases of the virus after the UAE announced that it would adopt the treatment method. 

17:30 - Bahrain's Ministry of Health has reported 49 new cases of coronavirus.

17:15 - Morocco reported 116 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,661.

16:39 - Turkey’s confirmed cases of coronavirus increased by 4,789 in the past 24 hours, and 97 people more have died, taking the death toll to 1,198, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

16:08 - Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 431, down from 619 the day before, and the number of new cases slowed to 4,092 from a previous 4,694.

15:48 - The number of people killed by the coronavirus in Canada rose by more than 12% to 674 in a day, official data posted by the public health agency showed.
By 1500 GMT, the total number of those diagnosed with the coronavirus had risen to 23,719. The respective figures at the same time on Saturday were 600 deaths and 22,559 positive diagnoses.15:18 - Iraq has reported four new coronavirus deaths and 34 new infected cases.

14:42 - The death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 10,612 across hospitals in the United Kingdom after a recorded daily rise of 737, the health ministry said.

14:36 - Abu Dhabi’s Etihad airways will operate special passenger flights to Brussels, Dublin, London Heathrow, Tokyo Narita and Zurich for those wanting to leave UAE, it said in a statement.

13:15 - Health officials say 657 more people in England with the coronavirus have died, taking total UK deaths over 10,000.

12:40 - Saudi Arabia confirmed 429 new coronavirus cases, brining the total number of infected people to 4,462.
The Ministry of Health said 59 new deaths have been recorded and 761 cases have recovered, adding that more than 40,000 people are in self-isolation or quarantine throughout the Kingdom to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The ministry’s spokesperson said the Kingdom aims to increase the number of coronavirus testing even further after conducting over 3,540 tests for every 1 million people.
He also said that youth can also contract coronavirus as per reports from the World Health Organization.

12:30 - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson left hospital to convalesce from COVID-19 at Chequers, the country estate of British prime ministers, a week after he was admitted and then spent three days in intensive care.
The 55-year-old leader will not be immediately returning to work, on the advice of his medical staff, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

11:33 - Qatar recorded 251 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infected people to 2,979.

11:30 - Palestine reported 19 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of cases so far to 287.
10:48 - Dozens of medical teams have continued random coronavirus testing on hospital visitors and people in their homes on Saturday in Jordan, as the 48-hour comprehensive curfew has ended.

10:31 - Fifty sailors aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French navy, have contracted the novel coronavirus the armed forces ministry said.
The nuclear-powered ship is heading to the southern French port of Toulon where it is expected to arrive on Sunday so that those infected can begin a period of quarantine on dry land, according to the ministry.

10:15 - Morocco has recorded 72 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infected people to 1617.

10:13 - Kuwait has confirmed 80 new coronavirus cases, raising the total to 1234.

09:53 - Iran has confirmed that 71,686 people were infected with coronavirus, while have died to 4,474.

09:47 - Lebanon has reported 11 new coronavirus cases, increasing the total to 630 infected people.

09:05 - UAE’s Ministry of Economy said they will discount the prices of several of their services to support companies during the coronavirus pandemic.

08:41 - Turkey’s government said they will send medical supplies to Israel and Palestine.

08:37 - Chairman of Mashreq Bank and head of UAE’s Bank Federation more than $13 billion are available for local companies and individuals affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and reported that 97 percent of the bank’s of employees are working from home.

08:24 - Iranian lawmakers have refused to remain in quarantine in the parliament building for the next few months, Persian media Radio Farda reported.

07:57 - Kuwait received an Indian Air Force plane carrying medical supplies to help the state curb the coronavirus spread, state news agency KUNA reported

07:54 - Chinese cities of Harbin and Suifenhe will implenet a 28 days quarantine for people coming from abroad. Harbin will also put residential units with confirmed and asymptomatic coronavirus cases under lock down for 14 days.

07:53 - Saudi Arabia’s health ministry has issued a precautionary guidebook for citizens arriving in the kingdom, as part of the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported.

07:24 - Easter celebrations will be muted this year for Egyptian Christians under the constraints imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

07:21 - Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam has sought to end the public outcry about burying dead COVID-19 patients in some villages in the country, local media Egypt Today reported.

07:14 - Lebanese town Bcharri went on lockdown as local authorities continued to administer coronavirus tests, The Daily Star in Lebanon reported.

07:13 - Some 1,639 repatriated Saudi nationals have so far been tested for coronavirus and placed in mandatory isolation, Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly said.

07:06 - Although China is claiming success in its battle against the coronavirus, millions have lost their jobs in the economic fallout, throwing into jeopardy an ambitious target to eradicate poverty this year

07:01 - Russia on Sunday reported 2,186 new coronavirus cases, the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, bringing the national tally of confirmed cases to 15,770.

06:30 - Oman has confirmed 53 new coronavirus cases, brining the total to 599 people diagnozed with COVID-19.

06:18 - Kuwait has reported that nine more people have recovered from coronavirus, bringing the total of recoveries to 142.

01:54 - The United States passed the grim milestone of 20,000 coronavirus deaths Saturday as huge swaths of the globe celebrated the Easter holiday weekend under lockdown at home.

The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 20,506 people in the US, which leads the world in deaths and in the number of declared infections — at least 527,111, according to a tally maintained by Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.

Saturday, April 11 (All times in GMT)

19:29 - Saudi Arabia’s health ministry has issued a guidebook for citizens arriving in the kingdom, as part of the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported.

Citizens should isolate themselves before their return to the country and not leave their homes except if it is necessary, the ministry said in a tweet. They should also avoid getting in contact with others and should maintain handwashing with soap and water, or they can use sanitizers, it added.

17:21 - The UAE health ministry has reported 376 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 3,736, state news agency WAM reported.