According to AFP, Norway's armed forces cancelled an exercise that was meant to gather 15,000 Nato and allied soldiers from March 12 to March 18 because of concerns over the new coronavirus.

“The coronavirus is out of control,” the head of the army's operations centre, Rune Jakobsen, told reporters.

“We would rather preserve our army's combat capabilities so we can support society in the turbulent period to come," he said.