Italy is struggling most to combat Covid-19, with a total of nearly 5.000 coronavirus deaths. Officials there once again reported the largest one-day increase in fatalities. Regular papal events are no longer open to the public.
Pope Francis's Sunday Angelus prayers are broadcast online instead. The Vatican's Saint Peter's Square has been sealed off. While authorities around the world take more drastic measures to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the number of cases globally nearly doubled last week.
The current tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States counts more than 300.000 infections worldwide and over 13.000 deaths. The raging pandemic has forced 35 countries across the globe to impose restrictions, disrupting lives, travel and businesses. This means globally, every seventh person is confined to their homes this Sunday.