What's happening: Virus fears hit Africa, markets, churches

PARIS (AP) — Amusement parks, sports events, religious gatherings, even school. More and more things in a growing swath of the world are now affected by the new virus. And that's messing with global financial markets as basic business, trade and tourism suffers from the disruptions.

Here are some of the latest developments:

IS AFRICA NEXT?

The virus has now officially reached sub-Saharan Africa, as Nigeria reported its first case. The patient is an Italian traveler who recently arrived in Lagos, Africa's largest city — home to 20 million people. Isolated cases of the virus were confirmed in Egypt and Algeria in north Africa in recent days, but there is growing concern that cases around Africa are going unreported. When the World Health Organization declared this virus a global health emergency last month, it was precisely because of worry that it could hit countries with weak health systems. And that's increasingly what's happening, from Africa to Afghanistan and beyond.

NO MORE HOLY WATER

Cologne Cathedral, one of Germany's main religious sites, is emptying its basins of “holy water” to prevent the spread of infection. Priests will also stop placing communion wafers in believers' mouths. The exceptional move comes as religious leaders struggle around the world to welcome the faithful while protecting against disease. Iranian authorities canceled Friday prayers in the capital Tehran and the city of Qom, the epicenter of Iran's outbreak. Some Italian churches shut their doors for Ash Wednesday this week. And in the U.S., the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is postponing a key April meeting of its top global leaders.

AS MARKETS FALL, ARE JOBS NEXT?

Down, down, down. From Tokyo to Frankfurt and New York, markets just kept dropping and were heading...