Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include: US extends European travel ban to UK and Ireland Vice-president Mike Pence confirmed that travel from the UK and Ireland will be suspended from midnight Monday (eastern standard time) in order to contain the outbreak. Earlier at the White House briefing, Donald Trump said that he has taken the test for coronavirus – but the results were not yet available. Only 36% of Britons trust Johnson on coronavirus – poll A survey commissioned by the Observer shows people have more faith in those with medical and scientific knowledge than they have in Britain’s political leaders. The government is seen, overall, as having handled the crisis well. The findings come as the coronavirus death toll in the UK doubled in 24 hours to 21 – and the total number of people to test positive for the virus rose to 1,140. All flights to and from Yemen suspended for two weeks Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebels have both said they will be suspending flights to and from airports under their respective control. Prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed said all flights to and from government controlled airports would be suspended for a fortnight from 18 March. The suspension exempts flights for humanitarian purposes. Houthi rebels in control of northern Yemen have said all passenger flights to and from the capital Sana’a will be suspended for two weeks. Five years of war have already decimated the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. Syria has shut schools and cancelled events, but still insists it has no cases The conflict-affected nation has also reduced public sector hours to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Health Ministry said the steps were “preventative” and “precautionary” and intended to raise the health sector’s readiness to control the virus should it emerge, and says there have been no cases in the country. France to close most shops, cafes, restaurants and cinemas France will shut down cafes, shops, restaurants and cinemas to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, prime minister Éduoard Philippe has announced. Philippe said public transport will be kept open but asked citizens to limit their use, Reuters news agency reported. The closures will come into effect at midnight on Saturday. He told a news conference that exceptions on the shop ban would include food stores, pharmacies and gas stations. Europe now the centre of virus, WHO says “Europe has now become the epicenter [sic] of the pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China,” the WHO director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tweeted on Saturday. He urged countries to take all available action, warning that “we are at a critical point”. Global number of confirmed cases stands at 153,586, with 5,789 deaths As of today 71,715 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The institution runs a live tracker of coronavirus cases, based on official figures, meaning that the true figures may be somewhat higher.