Germany will “largely” shut its borders with France, Switzerland and Austria from Monday to stop coronavirus spreading, government sources say.
Other EU states are also taking radical action, with Austria banning gatherings of more than five people from Monday.
Romania is to declare a state of emergency. The Czech Republic, which has already closed its borders, could introduce a nationwide quarantine.
The moves follow strict measures taken by France and Spain on Saturday.
Spain recorded 97 more deaths and 2,000 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total death toll to 288 and overall number of cases to 7,753.
France, with 4,469 confirmed cases and 91 deaths, is holding local elections, despite the shutting of cafes, restaurants and most shops.
Italy, which has recorded 1,441 deaths and and 21,157 cases, began a nationwide lockdown on Monday.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have already closed their borders.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that Europe was now the “epicentre” of the pandemic.
WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries to use aggressive measures, community mobilisation and social distancing to save lives.