Coronavirus outbreak has become a global pandemic: German minister Jens Spahn
Germany's health minister Jens Spahn told lawmakers that the "coronavirus outbreak in China has become a global pandemic".
"The situation is changing very quickly... What's clear is that we have not yet reached the peak of the outbreak," Spahn said even as World Health Organization (WHO) has stopped short of declaring it a pandemic.
The virus has now reached at least 81 countries with South Korea, Iran and Italy emerging as "hotspots" outside China.
According to the latest update, over 90,000 people have been infected and around 3,200 have died worldwide from the virus.
As the virus continued to spread, Italy said it could close all schools and universities for two weeks across the country even as Iranian authorities asked citizens to refrain from travelling and going to events.
Israel campdown on people arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland putting them on two-week quarantine. The country currently has 15 confirmed cases of the virus.
Meanwhile, the WHO said masks, goggles and other protective equipment used by health workers were running out.