The coronavirus is spreading outside China, narrowing hope to eliminate it

Here's one more update on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak: There are signs now that it may be entering a new phase, one in which there's bigger spread outside China than has previously been seen. South Korea, for example, saw a sharp rise in cases when it went from 30 at the beginning of last week to more than 800 cases at last count. The country's president announced he was putting the country on the highest level of lockdown and called for "unprecedented, powerful" steps to be taken. Other countries, including Italy and Iran, have also seen a fast spike in cases; the Venice Carnival has been canceled amid concerns of Covid-19, and Iran's neighbors including Turkey and Armenia have closed their border with the country. All told, Covid-19 has now infected more than 79,000 people worldwide, and more than 2,600 have died.