• As of 6 p.m. PDT, March 26, the U.S. had a total of over 85,000 confirmed cases, the hardest COVID-19-hit country, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
• There were 462,684 confirmed cases (49,219 new) globally, and 20,834 people (2,401 new) have lost their lives by 10:00 CET March 26, according to the daily COVID-19 situation report released by the World Health Organization.
• The Chinese mainland reported 55 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Thursday, according to the National Health Commission Friday. And 54 of them were imported cases, bringing the total number of its kind to 595.
• Xinhua reported that China's civil aviation regulator issued a circular Thursday to further cut international flights as part of efforts to stem the inflow of COVID-19.
• Starting from March 26, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality requires international arrivals to take 14-day concentrated quarantine.

The General Office of Chongqing COVID-19 Prevention and Control Leading Group issued a notice on March 26 that all people coming to Chongqing from overseas shall take 14-day centralized quarantine for medical observation since Thursday, the day of issuance. For diplomats entering China and people engaged in important economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation, other regulations shall be implemented accordingly. The decision aims to further prevent and control the pandemic importation, as imported risks caused by the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to rise.

The Chinese mainland reported 55 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Thursday, according to the National Health Commission Friday. And 54 of them were imported cases, bringing the total number of its kind to 595. The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,340 by the end of Thursday, including 3,460 patients who were still being treated, altogether 74,588 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,292 people who died of the disease. By the end of Thursday, 453 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 33 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 252 in Taiwan including two deaths. A total of 110 patients in Hong Kong, ten in Macao and 29 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

Xinhua reported that China's civil aviation regulator issued a circular Thursday to further cut international flights as part of efforts to stem the inflow of COVID-19. All domestic airlines were allowed to operate only one flight to each country per week, while foreign aviation companies should keep only one air route to China and there should be no more than one flight every week for each of the air route to China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a circular that will be effective from March 29.

There were 462,684 confirmed cases (49,219 new) globally, and 20,834 people (2,401 new) have lost their lives by 10:00 CET March 26, according to the daily COVID-19 situation report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Three new countries/territories/areas from the Region of the Americas [1], and the African Region [2] have reported cases of COVID-19.