Spain's government is to declare a state of alert over the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday after infections soared over 4,200 with 120 dead. 

Iran said Friday the security forces will clear the streets nationwide within 24 hours so all citizens can be checked for coronavirus -- its toughest measure yet to combat the outbreak.

The COVID-19 epidemic in Iran -- a nation of more than 80 million people -- has now claimed over 500 lives and infected more than 11,000.

France is limiting gatherings to a maximum of 100 people in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Friday.

Kenya announced its first confirmed case of coronavirus on Friday, saying a woman who returned from the United States tested positive for the illness in Nairobi.

China reported just eight cases of the coronavirus on Friday, with no new domestic infections outside the epicentre of Hubei province.

The National Health Commission said there were five more people infected in Hubei's capital Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December.

A Chinese government campaign to cast doubt on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling a row with the United States, with a Beijing official promoting conspiracy theories and Washington calling it the "Wuhan virus".

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced schools in France would close indefinitely from next week to curb the spread of the coronavirus, also urging people over 70 to stay at home.

U.S. President Donald Trump defended Thursday his shock decision to impose a 30-day ban on travel from mainland Europe over the coronavirus pandemic that sent markets into a tailspin and sparked panic among stranded travellers. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called for the "immediate" formation of a national unity government to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, and ordered schools closed. 

A key adviser to Iran's supreme leader has been placed in quarantine after experiencing "mild symptoms" of the new coronavirus, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.