China

The supplies consist of sourcing local fresh produce from non-affected areas to supply to families in affected areas.

According to the details of this financial support, one million vatu will go towards sourcing 2000kg of sliced frozen tuna from SinoVan Ltd.

And another million vatu will go to farmers’ associations on Malekula, Ambrym and Efate to supply 1200kg of meat protein.

The aid was flown from China via Darwin, Australia on a chartered A320 flight over the Easter weekend.

The flight which was approved by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) carried critical COVID-19 medical equipment and supplies onboard.

According to Airports Vanuatu Limited,all supplies were disinfected at the port of origin prior to transport to Vanuatu.

The number of deaths now stands at 3,405, which is more than in China where the virus originated last year.

There have been 3,245 reported deaths in China, but there have been questions over the reliability of its data.

A lockdown imposed on 12 March in Italy has been extended beyond the original 25 March end date. Nearly all Italians have been told to stay at home.

Despite these measures, the number of new cases and deaths has continued to spiral.

There have been 220,000 cases of the virus worldwide with more than 9,000 deaths.

His visit comes as China recorded its lowest number of infections, just 19 on Tuesday, all in Wuhan apart from two who had arrived from overseas.

China has seen 80,754 confirmed cases, 3,136 of whom have died.

The visit was Mr Xi's first trip to the city since the outbreak began.

According to state media, Mr Xi arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday to inspect epidemic prevention and control work in the province.

About 47 of the 70 had been pulled from the rubble of the five-storey Xinjia Hotel by Sunday, state media says.

Videos posted online show emergency workers combing through the building's wreckage in the southern province of Fujian.

It is not clear what caused the collapse or if anyone has died.

It happened at about 19:30 local time (11:30 GMT).

Chinese state media says the hotel was being used as a quarantine facility monitoring people who had had close contact with coronavirus patients.

The hotel reportedly opened in 2018 and had 80 guest rooms.

Travellers from the virus hotspots of South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy arriving in the capital will have to be isolated, a Beijing official has said.

Shanghai and Guangdong announced similar restrictions earlier.

Authorities are worried the virus might be imported back into the country.

Although most virus deaths have been in China, Monday saw nine times more new infections outside China than in.

Shanghai said it would require new arrivals from countries with "relatively serious virus conditions" to be isolated, without naming the countries.

As Vanuatu prepares for its general election next month, Charlot Salwai is taking stock of being one of the few Vanuatu prime ministers to have lasted a full parliamentary term in power.

During the four-year term, the his coalition government signed Vanuatu on for co-operation under China's Belt and Road Initiative. Several infrastructure projects also began or were completed with Chinese funding.

The only exception was on a cruise liner docked in Japan, where 44 new cases were reported, bringing the total there to 218.

There was also no major shift in the coronavirus's pattern of mortality or severity, according to the WHO.

Hubei recorded 242 deaths on Wednesday, the deadliest day of the outbreak.

There was also a huge increase in cases, with 14,840 people diagnosed but most of this was down to Hubei using a broader definition to diagnose people, said Mike Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies programme.

There was also a huge increase in the number of cases, with 14,840 people diagnosed with the virus.

Hubei has started using a broader definition to diagnose people - which accounts for most of the rise in cases.

Until Wednesday's increases, the number of people diagnosed in Hubei - where the outbreak emerged - was stabilising.

But the new cases and deaths in the province have pushed the national death toll above 1,350 - with almost 60,000 cases in total.

Wearing a face mask, Mr Xi also visited a community health centre, where he had his temperature checked.

More than 900 people have been killed by the virus, the gravest public health crisis in China since Sars in 2002-3.

During his visit, Mr Xi urged "more decisive measures" to combat the virus.

The Chinese leader has kept a low profile over weeks as the outbreak has worsened. He is yet to visit Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.