—-French Prime minister Edouard Philippe announced that France is shutting down all restaurants, cafes, cinemas and retail shops that are not essential, starting Sunday, to face the accelerated spread of the virus in the country. Health authorities said more that 4,500 cases have been confirmed in France on Saturday, including 91 deaths. ———Italian doctors in at least two hospitals treating COVID-19 cases have started using a drug normally prescribed for people with chronic inflammatory auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. ———Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi is the latest senior politician to test positive for the new coronavirus. The move came after the number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 84, with two deaths.

Source: ABC News March 14, 2020 05:04 UTC