Germany will impose temporary controls on its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg on Monday to stop coronavirus spreading.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer speaks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP
The borders will close at 8am local time on Monday, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told reporters.
Goods would continue to flow between the countries and commuters may still cross the borders, government sources said.
The aim was to contain coronavirus but also reportedly to curb panic-buying by foreigners which had led to some supply problems in the border regions.
- If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs)
Germany has seen at least nine deaths with coronavirus and 4585 cases of infection.
Other EU states are also taking radical action, with Austria banning gatherings of more than five people from Monday.
The Republic of Ireland is asking all pubs to shut until 29 March and schools in the Netherlands are to close.
The moves follow strict measures taken by France and Spain on Saturday.
In Italy, the number of deaths in a 24-hour period reached a new high, up by 368 since Saturday to reach a total of 1809. Of those, 1218 were recorded in the Lombardy region, which is home to the business hub of Milan.
Spain recorded 97 more deaths and 2000 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total death toll to 288 and overall number of cases to 7,753.
On Saturday Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said citizens should not leave home, except for buying essential supplies and medicines, or for work.
The state of emergency there will last for two weeks - more if deemed necessary and parliament approves.
Read more about the Covid-19 coronavirus:
- Follow our live blog for all the latest coronavirus updates
- Coronavirus: Answers to the top five questions
- Self isolation - your questions answered
- Touching your Face: Why do we do it and how to stop
- Scientific hand-washing advice to avoid infection
- More Covid-19 news
France, with 4469 confirmed cases and 91 deaths, is holding local elections, despite the shutting of cafes, restaurants and most shops.
In France the closure - which went into force at 11pm GMT on Saturday - applies to restaurants, cafes, cinemas and nightclubs as well as non-essential businesses.
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe also asked people to reduce their travel, especially between towns, in the country of 63.5 million.
However, crowds of people could be seen out enjoying the sunshine on Sunday in the green spaces of Paris.
In Switzerland, the number of infections have leapt by 800 to reach 2,200 in just 24 hours.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that Europe was now the "epicentre" of the pandemic.
WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries to use aggressive measures, community mobilisation and social distancing to save lives.
In the Netherlands, bars, sports clubs, sex shops and coffee shops will be shut from Sunday night.
In other developments:
- Slovakia declared a state of emergency
- A man of 75 became the first person to die with coronavirus in Hungary
- Nobody will be allowed to enter the Republic of Cyprus without a medical certificate confirming they do not have coronavirus, and those who do face compulsory 14-day quarantine
- The prime minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babis, is proposing to place the entire country under quarantine after cases rose from 214 to 231, with no fatalities
- Romania, which has 123 cases, is set to declare a state of emergency on Monday
- BBC