FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* The U.S. Supreme Court will stop allowing the public to attend courtroom sessions in person during the month of April as infections rise in the District of Columbia. EUROPE * British police said they would issue at least another 30 fines for people who attended gatherings in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's offices and residence in breach of strict lockdown rules. * Britain will expand access to Pfizer's oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment to thousands more people by adding it to a trial to assess how best to use the drug in its highly vaccinated population.

Some Shanghai residents were able to leave their homes for the first time in more than two weeks on Tuesday as the city took tentative steps towards easing a COVID-19 lockdown amid mounting worries over the economic impact of the strict curbs. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Taiwan expects daily domestic infections to top 1,000 a day by the end of the month, its health minister said, calling on people not to panic about a wave that is causing few serious cases. * Taiwan's Pegatron Corp, which assembles iPhones for Apple Inc, suspended operations at its Shanghai and Kunshan plants in China due to the government's COVID-19 protocols.

* German auto parts supplier Bosch suspended production at two sites in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Changchun. * The U.S. State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency U.S. government workers to leave the consulate in Shanghai due to a surge in cases and China's measures to control the virus.

AMERICAS * The U.S. Justice Department on Monday asked a federal appeals court to allow the Biden administration to resume enforcing a federal employee vaccine mandate that had been blocked by a lower-court judge in January.

* Philadelphia will again require masks in indoor public settings such as restaurants, schools and businesses starting next week, responding to what appears to be a fresh wave of coronavirus transmissions. * The U.S. Supreme Court will stop allowing the public to attend courtroom sessions in person during the month of April as infections rise in the District of Columbia.

EUROPE * British police said they would issue at least another 30 fines for people who attended gatherings in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's offices and residence in breach of strict lockdown rules.

* Britain will expand access to Pfizer's oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment to thousands more people by adding it to a trial to assess how best to use the drug in its highly vaccinated population. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Saudi Arabia will let up to 1 million people join the Haj pilgrimage this year, greatly expanding the key event to participants from outside the kingdom after two years of tight COVID-19 restrictions, state media said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* An experimental drug being developed by RedHill Biopharma Ltd that improved outcomes in a randomized trial involving severely ill COVID-19 patients infected with earlier versions of the coronavirus is showing promise against the Omicron variant in test-tube experiments, researchers said. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Oil prices climbed as Shanghai's relaxation of some COVID-19 restrictions eased concerns about Chinese demand and as OPEC warned it would be impossible to replace potential supply losses from Russia. * China stocks rebounded sharply in afternoon trading to close up, as speculation that coronavirus control measures could be eased in some pilot areas led to buying in the tourism and consumer goods sectors, while sentiment was boosted more broadly by expectations of policy support for the economy.

* The World Trade Organization revised down its forecast for global trade growth this year to 3% from 4.7% amid a pandemic and war "double whammy".