Japan told schools to close through the spring break, which for most students typically means early April. Australia’s leader warned that a pandemic was inevitable, and an Iranian lawmaker said he has tested positive for the virus. New infections and deaths from covid-19, as the disease caused by the coronavirus is known, emerged from the Middle East to Europe and South Korea. The United States, meanwhile, announced its first case with no known link to foreign travel, and the State Department issued a Level 3 travel advisory for South Korea, portending extended economic disruption in Asia.

While China’s official numbers continued to show a drop in new cases and deaths in the country, in other parts of the world the problem appeared to be getting worse. South Korea announced 505 new cases Thursday, bringing its total to 1,766, including a U.S. soldier stationed on the peninsula.

Elsewhere, officials canceled or postponed events including religious pilgrimages in Saudi Arabia, as doubts grow over Tokyo’s plans to host the 2020 Olympics.