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France bans live events of more than 5,000 people amid virus fears

France has put a halt on all indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people in a move designed to curb the spread of coronavirus, with two deaths already reported in the country.

All public gatherings have been banned in the north of Paris, where the outbreak is most prevalent, with the number of cases up to 100 as of Saturday.

Measures announced after an emergency cabinet meeting also include the cancellation of the Paris half-marathon which was to be held on Sunday.

More than 85,500 cases have been confirmed in total across the world, with the death toll surpassing 2,900.

“Our goal at this stage is limit the spread,” Health Minister Olivier Véran said after Saturday’s cabinet meeting, according to the BBC.

Elsewhere, live events are being affected by cancellations, with the first two races of the MotoGP motorbike racing 2020 season in Qatar and Thailand called off because of coronavirus.

The first race in Qatar on Sunday is off because of travel restrictions imposed on passengers from Italy. The country has reported 34 deaths from the virus, with confirmed cases up to almost 1,700.

In addition, other Italian live events such as concerts like the Testament, Exodus and Death Angel’s The Bay Strikes Back show at the Trezzo Live Club in Milan have been scrapped due concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

A statement read on the cancellation read: “The cancellation of an event causes economic damage and serious inconvenience to everyone, especially you and the public, who often make sacrifices in terms of time and money to make sure you participate in an event or concert of the band you love: by booking travel, accommodation, taking leave and vacation days.

“It is economic damage also for the club, obviously, for the intermediary agencies, for the companies and workers involved, up to the artists themselves. They are therefore choices that must be carefully considered, in order to also evaluate possible recoveries in the case of international tours in particular.”

In the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News he could not rule out banning big events where thousands of people would gather, if the situation gets worse, with the number of confirmed cases now at 36.