Reported virus cases spike as Europe sees its first major outbreak

As reported cases of the coronavirus spiked to over 79,000 over the weekend, Europe struggled to deal with its first major outbreak of the disease, in Italy. South Korea took “unprecedented, powerful” steps to try to contain the spread of the COVID-19, and Iran reported additional cases. China, which has over 77,000 cases, reported hundreds more.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. has reached 53, health officials said Monday. Most people who tested positive were former passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been quarantined off Japan. A federal judge temporarily blocked a government plan to send some patients to a facility in Costa Mesa, California, after city officials sued, saying they hadn’t been consulted.