NEW MILESTONE

Number of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Cases Worldwide Surpasses 100,000

Meanwhile, Iran reported a sharp rise in cases, even threatening to use force to stop people from moving between cities.

The total number of confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus surpassed 100,000 on Friday, as Iran struggled to contain its cluster of 4,747 infections, even threatening to use force to stop people from moving between cities. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general, on Friday praised Iran for its “all-of-government approach” to the outbreak. “We are continuing to recommend that all countries make containment their highest priority,” said Tedros. The largest outbreak outside of China was still in South Korea, while Italy remained the largest in Europe, reporting an updated tally of 4,636 confirmed cases on Friday.