Italy has reported 475 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year.
In total, the number of deaths in Italy have reached 2,978, more than half of all the cases recorded outside China, while the number of infections reached 35,713.
The previous record high of 368 deaths was also recorded in Italy on Sunday.
Italy, a nation of 60 million, has now recorded 34.2% of all the deaths officially attributed to Covid-19 across the world.
The rates within Italy itself remained stable, with two-thirds of the deaths (1,959) reported in the northern Lombardy region around Milan, the Italian financial and fashion capital.
In France, the virus has caused 89 new deaths over the last 24 hours bringing the total death toll in the country to 264.
"We have an epidemic that is rapidly becoming more serious," the country's top health official told reporters. He added that France now had 9,134 confirmed cases, 3,626 of whom were in hospital.
It comes as the head of the World Health Organization said that Covid-19 was an "enemy against humanity". The number of people infected in the pandemic has now soared past 200,000.
"This coronavirus is presenting us with an unprecedented threat," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a virtual news conference, stressing that it was "an unprecedented opportunity to come together as one against a common enemy: an enemy against humanity".
Mr Tedros said that while Africa so far had seen few cases of Covid-19, the continent should "prepare for the worst".
"Africa should wake up," he said, adding that to date, 233 cases of the new coronavirus had been registered in sub-Saharan Africa and four people had died, making it the least-affected region in the global pandemic.
But he warned that the official numbers likely did not reflect the full picture.
"Probably we have undetected cases or unreported cases," he said.
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Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have said that their countries would close their border to "non-essential traffic," as the United States struggled to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
With cases of the respiratory illness caused by the virus reported in all 50 states and the total number of known US infections surging past 6,400, millions of Americans stayed at home instead of commuting to work or going to school. The US death toll has topped 100.
Many people have lost jobs with numerous businesses closing during the crisis even as the Trump administration works with Congress to approve economic stimulus legislation.
Wall Street's main indexes were down about 6% today after a positive day yesterday, as growing signs of coronavirus damage to corporate America overshadowed optimism about sweeping official moves to protect the economy.
"We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!" Mr Trump wrote on Twitter.
At the White House, Mr Trump said the closure would "hopefully" last 30 days.
"I would say 30 days and hopefully at the end of 30 days we'll be in great shape," he told reporters.
The two nations share one of the world's largest bilateral trading relationships.
The US and Canadian economies are highly integrated and a strict ban on border crossing would cause major problems for the car sector, as well as the transportation of food and medicines.
Mr Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa that he spoke with Mr Trump and they agreed to restrict non-essential travel across the border.
"Travelers will no longer be permitted to cross the border for recreation and tourism," Mr Trudeau said.
"Our governments recognise it is critical that we preserve supply chains between both countries," Mr Trudeau added.
"These supply chains ensure that food, fuel and life-saving medicines reach people on both sides of the border. Supply chains including trucking will not be affected by this new measure."
We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020
Covid-19 could significantly increase global unemployment - UN
The Covid-19 pandemic will significantly increase global unemployment, leaving up to 25 million more people out of work, and will dramatically slash workers' incomes, the United Nations has said.
In a fresh study, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned that the economic and labour crisis sparked by the spread of the new coronavirus will have "far-reaching impacts on labour market outcomes".
"This is no longer only a global health crisis, it is also a major labour market and economic crisis that is having a huge impact on people," ILO chief Guy Ryder said in a statement.
The UN agency's study suggested the world should prepare to see a "significant rise in unemployment and underemployment in the wake of the virus".
The ILO called for urgent, large-scale and coordinated measures to protect workers in the workplace, stimulate the economy and employment and support jobs and income, including through social protections, paid leave and other subsidies.
Meanwhile, the EU Commission chief has said that China will send Europe 50,000 coronavirus testing kits and two million surgical masks, as the continent battles to contain the pandemic.
In a phone conversation, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China was also ready to provide 200,000 respirator masks for more serious cases, Ursula von der Leyen said in a video statement.
"We are ramping up our production, we are converting our production lines, but this needs several weeks, and in the meantime we are grateful for the support from China," she said.
"China has not forgotten that in January, when China was the centre of the virus outbreak, the EU helped," she underlined.
Spoke with 🇨🇳PM Li Keqiang who announced that China will provide 2 mil surgical masks, 200,000 N95 masks & 50,000 testing kits. In January, the 🇪🇺helped 🇨🇳by donating 50 tonnes of equipment. Today, we're grateful for China's support. We need each other's support in times of need. pic.twitter.com/2Vsw9p50Ej
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 18, 2020
Separately, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma's e-commerce giant Alibaba has donated more than a million masks to EU members France and Spain, both hard hit by the virus.
The donation comes a day after the European Union sealed its borders, barring travellers from outside the bloc from arriving for 30 days to try to slow the rapid spread of the virus.
