Estonia closes schools, bans public events until May 1

Estonian government has decided to close schools and ban public gatherings until May 1 to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and said on Friday it was working on financial support to aid struggling companies in sectors such as tourism.

"Most certainly we are ready to increase public sector investment to prevent job cuts," Prime Minister Juri Ratas told a news conference on Friday. In a statement, the government said it would halt sale of cruises on the Tallinn-Stockholm route, news which sent shares in shipping firm Tallink, which operates the route, down over 6%, to the lowest level since August 2015.

Estonia has 41 cases of coronavirus so far, one of over 115 countries with infections. The government also said travellers from countries including Italy, China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and parts of France, German and Spain would be subject to a two-week isolation.