Iran’s death toll from coronavirus infections jumped on Tuesday, March 10 to 291 and the total number of infections rose to 8,042, the health ministry said, according to Reuters.

Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur announced on state television that in the last 24 hours the number of new infections was 881, bringing the total to 8,042, and that another 54 patients had died.

Meanwhile the whole of Italy - a country of some 60 million people - has been placed under quarantine, as the government steps up efforts to tackle a coronavirus outbreak that has affected more than 9,000 people and left 463 dead in the country.