Vexed by how to contain virus, countriestake tough steps27 February 2020, by Matt Sedensky and Jon Gambrell

South Korean army soldiers wearing protective suitsspray disinfectant to prevent the spread of the COVID-19virus on a street in Daegu, South Korea, Thursday, Feb.27, 2020. As the worst-hit areas of Asia continued tostruggle with a viral epidemic, with hundreds more casesreported Thursday in South Korea and China, worriesabout infection and containment spread across theglobe. (Lee Moo-ryul/Newsis via AP)

Saudi Arabia cut travel to Islam's holiest sites,South Korea toughened penalties for thosebreaking quarantines and airports across LatinAmerica looked for signs of sick passengersThursday as the new virus troubled amushrooming swath of the globe.

With the illness pushing its way into a sixthcontinent and the number of sick and dead rising,the crisis gave way to political and diplomatic rows,concern that bordered on panic in some quarters,and a sense that no part of the world was immuneto the disease's spread.

"Viruses don't know borders and they don't stop atthem," said Roberto Speranza, the health ministerin Italy, where northern towns were on army-guarded lockdowns and supermarket shelves werebare.

As growing parts of Europe and the Middle Eastsaw infections and a first case was found in SouthAmerica, air routes were halted and border controltoughened. But for an illness transmitted so easily,with its tentacles reaching into so many parts of theworld, leaders puzzled over how to keep the virusfrom proliferating seemed willing to try anything tokeep their people—and economies—safe.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called forschools across the country to close for weeks, adecision that impacted 12.8 million students.

"The most important thing is to prevent infections,"said Norinobu Sawada, vice principal of Koizumiprimary school, "so there aren't many otheroptions."

In this Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, photo, workers clean asMuslim pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba, thecubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the minorpilgrimage, known as Umrah in the Muslim holy city ofMecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Feb.27, 2020, halted forei to the holiest sites in Islam overfears about a new viral epidemic just months ahead ofthe annual hajj pilgrimage. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

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In South Korea, the hardest-hit country outsideChina, four Busan markets known for colorful silksand a dizzying array of other wares were shutteredwhile the country's military sent hundreds of itsdoctors and soldiers to aid in treatment andquarantines.

In Iran, the front line of Mideast infections, officialsloosened rules barring the import of many foreign-made items to allow in sanitizers, face masks andother necessities, and removed overhead handleson Tehran's subways to eliminate another source ofgerms. Peru put specialists on round-the-clockshifts at its biggest airport, Argentina took thetemperature of some new arrivals and El Salvadoradded bans for travelers from Italy and SouthKorea.

The holy city of Mecca, which able-bodied Muslimsare called to visit at least once in their lives, and theProphet Muhammad's mosque in Medina were cutoff to potentially millions of pilgrims, with SaudiArabia making the extraordinary decision to stopthe spread of the virus.

Residents of Jongno-Gu wearing face masks spraydisinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus atthe Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea,Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. South Korea and China eachreported hundreds more virus cases Thursday as thenew illness persists in the worst-hit areas and spreadsbeyond borders. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

With the monarchy offering no firm date for thelifting of the restrictions, it posed the possibility ofaffecting those planning to make their hajj, a ritualbeginning at the end of July this year.

"We ask God Almighty to spare all humanity fromall harm," the country said in announcing thedecision.

Disease has been a constant concern surroundingthe hajj, with cholera outbreaks in the 19th centurykilling tens of thousands making the trip. Morerecently, another coronavirus that caused MiddleEast respiratory syndrome, or MERS, promptedincreased public health measures, but no outbreakresulted.

COVID-19's westward creep—including a case inCalifornia in the United States that does not appearlinked to overseas travel—had some countrieswarning their people to obey measures intended tokeep a single case from blossoming into a clusterthat could paralyze a community.

A man stands on a balcony of the H10 Costa AdejePalace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island ofTenerife, Spain, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. Spanishofficials say a tourist hotel on the Canary Island ofTenerife has been placed in quarantine after an Italiandoctor staying there tested positive for the COVID-19virus and Spanish news media says some 1,000 touristsstaying at the complex are not allowed to leave. (APPhoto/Joan Mateu)

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A man originally from Wuhan, the Chinese city atthe center of the global outbreak, who contractedthe virus was charged alongside his wife inSingapore for allegedly lying about theirwhereabouts as officials tried to stem furtherinfections. In Colombia, which has yet to report anycases, officials reminded residents they could bejailed for up to eight years if they violatecontainment measures. And in South Korea, theNational Assembly passed a law strengthening thepunishment for those violating self-isolation, morethan tripling the fine and adding the possibility of ayear in prison.

"It came later than it should have," said Lee Hae-shik, spokesman for the ruling Democratic Party,calling for further non-partisan cooperation toaddress the outbreak.

Countries' efforts to contain the virus opened updiplomatic scuffles. South Korea fought prohibitionskeeping its citizens out of 40 countries, calling themexcessive and unnecessary. China warned Russiato stop discriminatory measures against its people,including monitoring on public transit. Iran used thecrisis to rail against the U.S., which it accused of "aconspiracy" that was sowing fear.

A worker wearing protective gears sprays disinfectant asa precaution against the coronavirus at a shopping streetin Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. Thenew illness persists in the worst-hit areas and spreadsbeyond borders. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A worker in overalls screen for fever at the entrance to asupermarket in Beijing Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. SouthKorea and China each reported hundreds more viruscases Thursday as the new illness persists in the worst-hit areas and spreads beyond borders. (AP Photo/NgHan Guan)

Workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant as aprecaution against the coronavirus at a shopping street inSeoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. The newillness persists in the worst-hit areas and spreads beyondborders. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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A man with a protective mask walks on a pedestrianbridge Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Tokyo. At agovernment task force meeting Wednesday on the virusoutbreak, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was askingorganizers to cancel or postpone major sports or culturalevents over the next two weeks. (AP Photo/EugeneHoshiko)

People walk past an electronic board showing HongKong share index outside a local bank in Hong Kong,Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. Shares fell in Asia on Thursdayafter President Donald Trump announced the U.S. wasstepping up its efforts to combat the virus outbreak thatbegan in China. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Backdropped by snow-capped Mount Fuji, a man castshis fishing rod into the ocean on a quiet beach inFujisawa, Japan, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. According tolocal businesses in the area, the number of visitors hasdropped significantly since the outbreak of COVID-19.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

People wearing a face mask as a precaution against theCOVID-19 walk across a street in Hong Kong, Thursday,Feb. 27, 2020. As the worst-hit areas of Asia continued tostruggle with a viral epidemic, with hundreds more casesreported Thursday in South Korea and China, worriesabout infection and containment spread across the globe.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The global count of those sickened by the virushovered around 82,000, with 433 new casesreported Thursday in China and another 505 in

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South Korea, where the military called off joint drillsplanned with American troops. Iran's caseloadsurged by more than 100 cases.

Even the furthest reaches of the globe weretouched by the epidemic, with a woman testingpositive in Tromsoe, the fjord-dotted Norwegian citywith panoramas of snow-capped mountains. Healthofficials said the woman had traveled to China.

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