By Veronica Rocha, Fernando Alfonso III, Joshua Berlinger, Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton and Meg Wagner, CNN
From CNN’s Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran and Hira Humayun in Atlanta
Iran has confirmed 958 new cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall count to 9,000, according to health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour on Wednesday.
Speaking on state TV, Jahanpour confirmed 63 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 354.
He advised people to cancel all holiday travel plans and to stay at home.
Iran has the second highest death toll outside mainland China.
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
Seventy-seven Bahraini nationals evacuated from Iran have tested positive for coronavirus, according to Bahrain’s Ministry of Health.
The 77 were part of a group of 165 Bahraini nationals who were evacuated on a plane from coronavirus-hit Iran on Wednesday.
That flight was the first of several repatriation services that will be evacuating Bahrainis from Iran, the ministry said.
Iran has more than 8,000 coronavirus cases and 291 deaths, its ministry of health said on Tuesday.
The positive cases in Bahrain will be moved to a hospital for quarantine, state news agency BHA said.
Bahrain now has a total of 187 cases.
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia in New York
A New York health official told CNN's New Day that the goal of the state's containment zone is to “prevent exposure, because if there is no exposure there is no risk.”
Asked about whether the move had come too late for the city of New Rochelle, Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said “it's never too late, because although we have over a hundred cases, we don’t have thousands of cases yet, and that’s what you want to prevent."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday plans to deploy the National Guard and create a one-mile containment area in New Rochelle in an attempt to stop a growing cluster of coronavirus cases.
“Right now the risk is in large gatherings where there may be individuals who are infected who are capable of spreading the disease,” Amler continued.
She said that in terms of trying to track individual cases, “we’re getting to a point where that’s really not going to be very productive. We have to have a broader -- a broader reach, a broader plan.”
From CNN's Rob Picheta in London
A health minister in Boris Johnson's government has become the first British MP to test positive for coronavirus, raising fears about the potential spread of the disease in Westminster.
Nadine Dorries, who attended a reception with the Prime Minister and his fiancé Carrie Symonds in Downing Street last Thursday, said in a statement on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with the virus and is in self-isolation.
Health officials are now racing to trace those who have had contact with Dorries, who has kept a busy diary of engagements in and around the UK's political center.
"I can confirm I have tested positive for Coronavirus," Dorries, a junior health minister, said in a statement released through the Department of Health. "As soon as I was informed I took all the advised precautions and have been self-isolating at home."
Her diagnosis raises questions about whether the UK's Parliament will need to be temporarily shut down. Officials confirmed to CNN that there are still no plans to take such a step.
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From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London
Poland is to shut all schools from Monday in a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus, after 25 cases were confirmed in the country.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for National Education confirmed to CNN that all schools in Poland will close until March 25. Schools will remain open this week to assist parents unable to sort out last-minute childcare arrangements but no lessons will take place.
Parents of children aged eight or younger who stay at home with their children will be entitled to a care allowance for up to 14 days from the Polish Social Insurance Institution.
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that authorities believed 60-70% of the population would eventually get infected by the novel coronavirus.
Speaking at a Berlin coronavirus news conference along with Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn, Merkel said it was important not to overburden the health system.
She noted that every European country was affected, sending special thoughts to Italy in its fight against the virus.
Merkel said countries should focus on and support research, adding that Germany would deal with the crisis in a de-centralized manner.
German lawmakers will hold a meeting Thursday to coordinate regarding the crisis.
“We are in a situation where we don’t know many things, and what we don’t know, we have to take seriously,” Merkel said.
This is about protecting vulnerable people, she added.
How coronavirus can lead countries like Germany into recession:
From CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing
Beijing's municipal government has announced tightened quarantine rules targeting international arrivals, amid a growing number of imported cases in the Chinese capital.
Starting immediately, anyone arriving in Beijing from overseas will be required to self-quarantine at home or designated facilities for 14 days. Previously, only people arriving from "high-risk" regions were mandated to do so.
International business travelers can only stay at designated hotels in Beijing and have to be tested for the coronavirus. They are not allowed to leave their hotels before receiving test results.
The city has cordoned off a wing of Terminal 3 at its massive Capital International Airport to screen and register all international arrivals.
The authorities have also set up a transportation hub at an exhibition center near the airport, deploying a dedicated fleet of cars to drive arriving passengers to their homes or facilities for medical observation.
Beijing's Capital airport is the world's second busiest, with more than 100 million travelers passing through its three terminals last year, of which more than 26 million were international passengers.
On Tuesday, Beijing reported six new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, all of which were imported cases, including five from Italy and one from the United States.
From CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau and Hada Messia in Rome
Italians are taking the quarantine measures increasingly seriously on day two of the nationwide restrictions, with most people wearing masks at the Testaccio market in Rome.
There were a few arguments as people “got too close” to each other, while others had mastered the skill of lifting their masks to smoke.
The ground was covered in tape marking the required meter (three feet) to be maintained between people, along with signs giving instructions on expected behavior after the country recorded more than 10,000 reported cases.
According to government guidelines, hairdressers and beauty salons should only fulfil existing bookings and must avoid close contact between customers and staff, who are expected to wear masks and gloves.
But barbers were seen cutting hair on the sidewalk this morning.
While defiant attitudes had lessened, there was talk of "clandestine dinner parties" and secret socialization going on in certain buildings.
The Italian finance minister Roberto Gualtieri said Italy has allocated 25 billion euros -- $28 billion -- to fight the coronavirus crisis.
How Italy's lockdown is affecting daily life:
From CNN’s Joe Sutton and Roxanne Garcia Bell
Health officials in Washington state have announced that at least 10 long-term care facilities have reported positive COVID-19 cases.
King County Public Health Department said officials were working with the care facilities where residents and/or employees had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The health department said it was working to prevent further transmission and due to the volume of cases, was unable to provide additional detail beyond the names of the facilities.
Washington has 273 cases of coronavirus, more than any other US state, and 24 deaths.