The coronavirus health crisis is becoming an economic one too as the outbreak weighs down financial markets, empties shops and puts major sites and events off limits.

The list of countries hit by Covid-19, the coronavirus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is edging towards 60 with Mexico, Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan and the Netherlands reporting their first cases.

Director general of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said the outbreak “has pandemic potential”.

Attractions including Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan have announced closures and events that expected tens of thousands, including a tour by the Korean boy band BTS, have been called off. Stocks have also fallen across Asia.

In Italy, where the count of 650 cases is growing, hotel bookings are dropping and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has raised the possibility of recession.

The economic pain comes with anger in Bangkok, where tenants at the Platinum Fashion Mall staged a flash mob, shouting “Reduce the rent!” and holding signs that said “Tourists don’t come, shops suffer”.

People queuing to buy face masks in Seoul, South Korea
People queuing to buy face masks in Seoul, South Korea (AP/Lee Jin-man)

Some have attempted to exploit the crisis for financial gain, with 20 people in Italy arrested for selling masks they fraudulently claimed provided complete protection from the virus. Police said they were selling them for as much as 5,000 euro (£4,271) each.

Japan’s schools are closing and the country’s Hokkaido island has declared a state of emergency, with its governor urging residents to stay at home over the weekend. The Swiss government has banned events with more than 1,000 people, while at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, basins of holy water have been emptied amid concerns it could spread germs.

Globally, more than 85,000 people have fallen ill with Covid-19. China, though hardest hit, has seen lower numbers of new infections, with 327 additional cases reported on Friday, bringing the country’s total to 78,824. Another 44 people died there for a total of 2,788.

South Korea has recorded 2,337 cases, the most outside of China. Emerging clusters in Italy and in Iran, which has had 34 deaths and 388 cases, have in turn led to infections of people in other countries. France and Germany are also seeing increases, with dozens of infections.