Europe to shut borders amid spectre of long coronavirus crisis

A border police officer gestures as they check vehicles at the last toll gate entering Spain from France, following an order from the Spanish government to set up controls at its land borders over coronavirus, in La Jonquera, Spain March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders meeting via videoconference on Tuesday are likely to seal off the EU's external borders and stress a "whatever it takes" approach to easing the economic fallout from the likely long coronavirus crisis.

France was going into lockdown on Tuesday to contain the spread of the disease and the death toll in Italy jumped above 2,000, as European banks warned of falling incomes and airlines pleaded for government aid.