Latest on the spread of coronavirus around the world

(Reuters) - The world's wealthiest nations poured unprecedented aid into the traumatized global economy on Thursday as coronavirus cases ballooned in the current epicentre Europe even as they waned at the pandemic's point of origin, China.

DEATHS, INFECTIONS

- The virus has infected almost 227,800 people across the world and the death toll exceeds 9,200.

- For an interactive graphic tracking global spread: open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser

EUROPE- Restrictions imposed by some European Union countries at their borders are disrupting food supplies, industry representatives and farmers said on Thursday.

- NATO is scaling down military exercises in Europe but alliance missions are continuing, including the drawdown of the U.S.-led force in Afghanistan following a peace agreement last month.

- The EU's chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said on Thursday he had tested positive for COVID-19.

- Germany and Britain have put military personnel on standby. Italian soldiers transported bodies overnight from a northern town whose cemetery has been overwhelmed by the scale of the outbreak.

- A southern Swiss canton bordering Italy is being swamped with coronavirus patients, a top health official said on Thursday.

- A virus-hit Italian cruise ship has docked in Marseille, southern France. The 1,400 passengers and crew will remain on board while awaiting test results.

- Croatia, Northern Ireland and Russia reported their first deaths on Thursday.

AMERICAS

- With cases reported in all 50 U.S states and the total number of known infections at more than 9,400, millions of Americans are staying at home.- More than 60,000 homeless people could become infected in California over the next eight weeks, badly straining the healthcare system.

- Canada has decided to provide an $18.6 billion aid package directly to affected families and businesses.

- Brazilian retail, transport and manufacturing were hammered, and the government stopped accepting Venezuelan refugees at the border.

- Venezuelan utilities have hiked fees and the government plans to raise taxes as the economy deteriorates further due to the spread.

- Nicaragua and El Salvador have reported their first cases, and Mexico its first death.

ASIA - New imported infections hit a record of 21 in the Chinese capital of Beijing, data showed on Thursday, piling pressure on authorities to screen out infected passengers. But there were no new domestic transmissions for the first day since the virus took hold late last year in Wuhan, capital of the central province of Hubei.

- India banned incoming international flights on Thursday, restricted public gatherings and blocked roads to Kashmir after the region reported its first infection.

- Indonesia likely has far higher numbers of cases than reported due to limited testing and needs to consider tougher measures like lockdowns, the Red Cross told Reuters.

- Malaysian authorities are seeking around 2,000 Rohingya for checks after they attended a Muslim gathering on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, according to sources. More than 670 cases in Southeast Asia have been linked to the gathering.

- Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, advised its residents to self-isolate at home until at least the end of March. The country has confirmed 76 cases, 10 of which emerged on Wednesday.- Australia said on Thursday all non-citizens and non-residents would be banned from entering the country from Friday evening. The country has recorded around 600 infections and six deaths.- New Zealand closed its borders to all foreigners from midnight on Thursday.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

- Coronavirus is killing one person every 10 minutes in Iran, the health ministry spokesman tweeted on Thursday, as its death toll climbed to 1,284.

- Egypt will shut all cafes, malls, sporting clubs and nightclubs from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. local time, starting Thursday, until March 31 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the government said in a statement.

- Civil liberties activists asked Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday to suspend cellphone monitoring put in place under emergency regulations.

- Turkey has sent 500,000 test kits to the United States at their request, its health minister said on Thursday.

- Jordan's army on Thursday sealed off the capital from the rest of the country as the kingdom puts its ten million inhabitants under a lockdown, witnesses and officials said.

- Africa will likely see cases rise in coming weeks as some cases escape detection, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control said on Thursday, when Chad confirmed its first case.

- South African authorities announced on Thursday they would erect a fence along its border with Zimbabwe to prevent illegal immigrants from entering and spreading the virus.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

- The dollar surged on Thursday as extraordinary steps by central banks across the world to cope with a coronavirus-induced financial rout had mixed success. [MKTS/GLOB]

- The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged to a 2-1/2-year high last week as companies in the services sector laid off workers because of the pandemic.

- German manufacturers recorded the most precipitous drop in business expectations in the 70-year history of industrial surveys, preliminary figures showed on Thursday.

- Airline industry turmoil deepened as Qantas Airways told most of its 30,000 staff to take leave and Lufthansa said the industry may not survive without state aid if the pandemic lasts a long time.

- Crude oil traders from West Africa to the U.S. Gulf Coast are offering cargoes at deep discounts, desperately trying to attract buyers as global supplies swell and demand plunges.

- The U.S. Federal Reserve rolled out its third emergency credit program in two days, this one to ensure liquidity in money market mutual funds.

- Australia announced support packages on Thursday that will pump around A$100 billion ($56 billion) into the economy.

EVENTS

- Doubts are mounting that the Olympics can proceed as planned, but Tokyo Games and Japanese government officials insist the event will go ahead as scheduled.

- The 36th ASEAN summit scheduled in Vietnam early next month has been postponed until end-June.

(Compiled by Sarah Morland, Milla Nissi, Amy Caren Daniel and Ramakrishnan M.; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Anil D'Silva, Frances Kerry and Gareth Jones)