Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Hong Kong Closes Courts
Hong Kong suspends court services for a month as the city records more than 50,000 new cases for the third consecutive day, its zero-COVID strategy shattered.
Belgium Scraps Most Curbs
Belgium will scrap a requirement for health passes and masks in indoor public places from Monday, because of decreasing cases and a high vaccination rate.
Irish President Positive
Ireland's poet president Michael D Higgins, 80, and his wife Sabina test positive.
US Jobs Recover
The United States (US) economy sees a hiring surge in February, pushing the jobless rate closer to its pre-pandemic level as hard-hit sectors recover from the impact of COVID-19.
Bundesliga Match Postponed
An outbreak of COVID-19 within the Mainz squad causes Sunday's Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund to be rescheduled for 16 March.
Nearly Six Million Dead
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,980,373 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources on Friday.
The US has recorded the most COVID deaths with 956,262, followed by Brazil on 650,578 and India with 514,589.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.