The Latest on the world’s coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 183,000 people and killed more than 7,100. The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems. More than 79,000 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.

IRAN WARNS THAT CORONAVIRUS COULD KILL ‘MILLIONS’ IN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran issued its most dire warning yet Tuesday about the new coronavirus ravaging the country, suggesting “millions” could die in the Islamic Republic if people keep traveling and ignore health guidance.

A state TV journalist who also is a medical doctor gave the warning only hours after hard-line Shiite faithful on Monday night pushed their way into the courtyards of two major shrines that were finally closed due to the virus. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious ruling prohibiting “unnecessary” travel.

Roughly 9 out of 10 of the over 18,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the Middle East come from Iran, where authorities denied for days the risk the outbreak posed. Officials have implemented new checks for people trying to leave major cities ahead of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on Friday, but have hesitated to quarantine the areas.

The death toll in Iran saw another 13 percent increase Tuesday. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the virus had killed 135 more people to raise the total to 988 amid over 16,000 cases.

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Jordan announced a state of emergency, banning gatherings of more than 10 people, and Israel issued its own strict guidelines.

Most infected people experience only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and recover within weeks. But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by people with no visible symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

KENTUCKY DERBY POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER

LOUISVILLE, Ky.  — The Kentucky Derby is being postponed from May to September because of growing concern about the coronavirus pandemic, according to a published report.

Citing unidentified sources close to the race, the Courier-Journal of Louisville said Churchill Downs will postpone the Derby from May 2 to Sept. 5, marking the first time in 75 years that the race won’t be run on the first Saturday in May.

A formal announcement will be made Tuesday.

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The last time the Derby wasn’t held on the first Saturday in May was in 1945, when the federal government issued a ban on horse racing because of World War II. The ban was lifted on May 8, and the Derby was held on June 9. The only other year the Derby wasn’t held in May was in 1901, when it was raced on April 29.

DEATHS IN SPAIN JUMP TO 491

The number of deaths in Spain due to the new coronavirus has jumped from 309 to 491 in 24 hours and new infections have risen to 11,178, nearly 2,000 more than a day earlier.

The numbers were reported Tuesday by the nation’s health emergency center director, Fernando Simón. With a population of 46 million, Spain became on Monday the fourth country in the world with most coronavirus cases, surpassing South Korea and edging closer to Iran.

Spanish police started enforcing land border checks Tuesday after the country, already under strict lock-down measures, banned people from entering or exiting the country in an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

At the La Jonquera border, a key crossing point for trucks from and to France in northeaster Spain, masked agents of Spain’s national and Catalan regional police stopped cars and trucks, checked documents and redirected some of the vehicles back to France.

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Spanish citizens and residents are allowed to return home, and goods are allowed in and out.

BRITISH ANALYSIS SUGGESTS HIGH FATALITIES

Britain’s dramatic escalation of social restrictions to fight COVID-19 was sparked by new scientific evidence suggesting that 250,000 people in the U.K. and more than 1 million in the U.S. might die if the country did not suppress the spread of the new coronavirus.

Imperial College London epidemiologists advising the U.K. government have published an analysis drawing on data from Italy, the hardest-hit European country with nearly 28,000 cases and 2,158 deaths.

They found that a strategy of “mitigation” — slowing but not stopping the spread of the virus while protecting vulnerable groups like the elderly — would still lead to a huge number of cases that would overwhelm the health care system.

The scientists said “even if all patients were able to be treated, we predict there would still be in the order of 250,000 deaths in (Britain), and 1.1-1.2 million in the U.S.”

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They said a tougher “suppression” strategy would sharply reduce deaths but would “need to be maintained until a vaccine becomes available (potentially 18 months or more).”

On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told people to eliminate unnecessary contact with others, working from home where possible and avoiding bars, restaurants, theaters and other venues. Some scientists said the government should have taken tough action sooner.

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BORDER CLOSURES CAUSING PROBLEMS

Border closures are causing problems across Europe.

In Lithuania, the cargo truck line on the border to enter Poland stretched 60 kilometers (37 miles) long after Poland closed its border to foreigners due to the new coronavirus.

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On the Polish-German border, hundreds of vehicles have been stranded because they are not allowed to transit through Poland to go back home but don’t want to return to Germany.

German police helped stranded citizens from Baltic states get back home by ferry after Poland closed its border.

Police in the northeastern city of Stralsund on the Baltic coast said they escorted 30 cars Tuesdsay with citizens from Lithuania and Estonia via a bridge to the German island of Ruegen’s ferry port, the German news agency dpa reported. The cars needed an escort because access to the island has been mostly limited to residents. From Mukran, the stranded Baltic citizens were hoping to catch a ferry to Lithuania.

A Lithuanian military plane flew 31 people stranded in Germany back to Lithuania.

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SWEDEN CLOSING SOME SCHOOLS

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Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is urging high schools, universities and other educational institutions to close but not kindergartens or schools, which he could be shut down later.

Lofven told a press conference on Tuesday it had not been decided how long they would be closed, adding the government would follow the recommendations of the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

Education Minister Anna Ekstrom said that the Swedish “society must continue to function.”

SRI LANKANS EVADE QUARANTINE

Sri Lanka’s defense authorities are warning more than 100 Sri Lankans who have evaded quarantine process after returning from coronavirus-hit countries to register with the police immediately or face legal action that includes six months imprisonment.

Sri Lanka’s defense ministry says all citizens who arrived from European countries and Iran, Italy and South Korea from March 1 to 15 must register with the police or face legal action.

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TURKEY BRINGS CITIZENS HOME

Turkey is bringing home more than 3,600 of its citizens who have been stranded in nine European countries after Turkey suspended flights to 20 destinations over the coronavirus outbreak.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that the citizens will be returned to Turkey later in the day, on board 34 Turkish Airlines flights.

He said the returnees will be placed in quarantine for 14 days in Istanbul and in the nearby city of Kocaeli.

GERMANY TRYING TO BRING TOURISTS BACK

Germany has launched a drive to bring home thousands of tourists stranded in popular winter vacation spots across the globe — particularly people on package holidays in Morocco, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the Maldives and Egypt.

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Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday that the government is spending up to 50 million euros ($56 million) on the effort to bring Germans home over the coming days in cooperation with airlines including Lufthansa.

Maas didn’t give a precise number of stranded Germans but said there was a particularly large number in Morocco, with around 4,000 or 5,000. He said that “even if we will do everything humanly possible, we cannot in every case provide a solution within 24 hours.”

Maas said his ministry has issued a formal warning against tourist travel to any country.

INDIA BARS ALL ENTRY

India says it will bar all passengers — including Indian citizens — from entering the country on flights from the European Union, Turkey and the United Kingdom beginning Wednesday.

According to a statement issued by India’s aviation regulator, travelers coming from or transiting through the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine when they arrive. Arrivals from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany are already subject to similar restrictions, while many border points with neighboring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been shut.

India’s tourist ministry announced this week that it is shutting down the Taj Mahal, its iconic “monument of love,” to visitors.

Several other important monuments have also been shut across the country to keep people safe amid the coronavirus outbreak. Most schools and entertainment facilities have also been shuttered across India.

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