It’s starkly quiet in the warehouse that was once a bustling hive of activity just weeks ago.

“We’ve watched within a few days 100% of our calendar clear, which means no income and a lot of mouths to feed,” said Scott Scovill, owner of MooTV.

Live music, concerts, festivals, awards shows and other live entertainment events came to an abrupt halt just weeks ago over concerns of spreading the new coronavirus. For thousands of live entertainment staff who work behind the stages, the world got a lot quieter.

Concerts make up a multibillion-dollar live event industry that has boomed in recent years even as album sales have declined. But that industry went from highs to unprecedented lows in a matter of days.

Workers who live gig-to-gig supporting musicians, sports, festivals and other live events that draw massive crowds are suddenly faced with months of no income and no clear idea of when gigs might resume. Many of them are freelance or contract workers, which means they don’t have the support of a business to keep them going during slowdowns or provide health care or medical leave. The concert business is also very seasonal with the number of shows slowing in the winter months, which means that many businesses and workers were financially depending on an uptick in gigs starting in the spring, just as the virus hit.

Kai Griffin is a tour manager, production manager and sound engineer who has been working for country artist Lorrie Morgan for seven years, in addition to working with several new and upcoming bands. On average, he works about 125 shows a year. But after the virus hit the United States, he’s out of work for the foreseeable future and with very little in savings.

“I didn’t have hardly any work towards the end of the year,” said Griffin, 49, who is a father of three children. “You save up for dry times in this industry. Now it’s absolutely nothing. It’s totally bone dry.”

Griffin sought out financial help from his family as well as MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charitable organization, which gave him $1,000 to help with bills. “I was so thankful for it,” he said, but acknowledged that he was hoping that the federal government would step up for people like him.

For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

The first real sign of the virus’ impact on mass events was the cancellation of the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, followed by the postponing of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California. It’s likely that those mass entertainment events and venues won’t be the first to return either.

“In my 29 years, this is the worst I have ever seen,” said Chris Lisle, of CLLD LLC, a show production designer in Nashville, Tennessee, who has worked on tours for Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and One Direction.

He started a nonprofit years ago calledTouring Career Workshop to help freelancers in the live music industry with education about health insurance, retirement plans, accounting and taxes. Another program, called All Access, connects touring workers with mental health and counseling professionals, which he said will be critical for a lot of out-of-work people right now. “We’re encouraging people to make sure they’re taking care of themselves mentally,” he said.

Lisle said that while many major touring artists have salaried staff — like front of house engineer, lighting director or guitar tech — there are many more jobs like support technicians, video techs and audio techs that work on a freelance basis.

Country artist Zac Brown posted a video on Instagram a day after canceling his tour with tears in his eyes to explain that he had to let go of 90% of his crew and touring staff.

Feld Entertainment, a Florida-based company that puts on arena shows like Disney on Ice, Monster Jam and Supercross, announced company-wide layoffs as all its tours were halted.

Bandit Lites, a large stage lighting company with seven offices in America, Europe and Asia, employs 250 employees and works with 300 clients including Garth Brooks and Jimmy Buffett. Michael Strickland, the founder of the company, said he’s got a plan to get his business through the next 24 weeks without layoffs or pay reductions.

“I’ve now seen three artists with net worths of over $50 million dollars on television crying, talking about having to lay off 20 people,” Strickland said. “That’s a head scratcher.”

He is urging other live event businesses, as well as artists, to avoid immediate layoffs and seek out federal financial assistance under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last week. That provides small businesses with tax credits as reimbursements for providing employees with paid family and medical leave.

“But the only way this works is if everyone in entertainment does not lay everybody off,” Strickland said. “They’ve got to keep their people on.”

MusiCares established a COVID-19 fund specially for those who have lost work due to the virus. In the past, they’ve provided financial relief for entertainment workers after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. But Harvey Mason Jr., the interim president of the Recording Academy, said the coronavirus’ effect on the music industry has been unprecedented because it’s been so widely felt across the country.

“We’re getting hundreds of calls a day,” Mason said. “The requests vary from ‘I can’t get my medicine’ to ‘I can’t afford groceries and I need help with my rent.’”

MooTV’s Scovill is keeping his employees on the payroll so they won’t lose their health insurance. He’s seeking out small business loans to keep the company afloat, but said that will put it into deep debt. Like a lot of people, he’s been keeping himself isolated at home.

“The world has absolutely gone quiet for me,” Scovill said. “For myself and everyone in the entertainment industry, we’re hurting.”

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Online:

MooTV: https://www.mootv.com/

MusiCares: https://www.grammy.com/musicares

Bandit Lites: http://www.banditlites.com/

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Follow Kristin M. Hall at http://twitter.com/kmhall

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made the comments while appearing on FOX News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

Patrick, 69, went on the program after President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that he wanted the country to get back to business in weeks, not months.

“No one reached out to me, and said, as a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren? And if that is the exchange, I am all in.” He also said, “Let’s get back to work. Let’s get back to living. Let’s be smart about it,” Patrick said. “And those of us who are 70 plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country.”

Within hours, Patrick was trending on twitter.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilbert Hinojosa said, “Texas Democrats believe healthcare is a human right. The lives of our families, our friends, and our communities have no dollar amount.”

A spokeswoman for Patrick did not immediately return to an email seeking comment late Monday, but on Tuesday his office released the following statement to clarify his position on when people should get back to work.

“I was very clear last night that we should continue President Trump’s 15-day plan and if he believes we need more time, then we need more time. I trust his judgment. But at some point, sooner rather than later, we must get back to work before our nation totally collapses.”

“We can do two things at once — address the health care crisis and get people their jobs back — while following the CDC guidelines in a smart way.”

“When you close the doors of every business in America, you cannot help but destroy the economy and with it, the opportunity for the next generation to live the American dream.”

Former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi came to Patrick’s defense on Twitter.

In Washington today, NBC asked Sen. John Cornyn about Patrick’s comments.

“I don’t think he is going to have to make that choice. Hopefully we will kill the virus, and then we’ll prop up our economy and the jobs that go along with it,” said Cornyn.

*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.

Health experts have made clear that unless all Americans continue to dramatically limit social interaction — staying home from work and isolating themselves — the number of infections will overwhelm the health care system, as it has in parts of Italy, leading to many more deaths. While the worst outbreaks are concentrated in certain parts of the country, such as New York, experts warn that the highly infectious disease is certain to spread.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that people 65 years and older are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and eight out of 10 deaths in the U.S. from the disease have been from adults in that age group. 

Patrick is a firebrand conservative and former talk radio show host who was elected to office in 2014. He was the Texas chairman of Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 and has pushed the Texas Senate that he oversees further to the right.

Texas has more than 350 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths related to the virus. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has resisted calling a stay-at-home order for all of Texas but local officials in Dallas and San Antonio have.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Worldwide, more than 375,000 cases have been reported, and while most people recover in weeks, more than 16,000 have died from the virus.

How to Avoid COVID-19 Infection:

The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to this virus, which are similar to the precautions you take to avoid the flu. CDC always recommends these everyday actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

*Information shared from the Office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

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As many public health officials call for stricter, not looser restrictions on public interactions, Trump said he was already looking toward easing the advisories that have sidelined workers, shuttered schools and led to a widespread economic slowdown.

“I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter,” he said during a Fox News virtual town hall. Easter is just over two weeks away — Apr. 12.

Health experts have made clear that unless Americans continue to dramatically limit social interaction — staying home from work and isolating themselves — the number of infections will overwhelm the health care system, as it has in parts of Italy, leading to many more deaths. While the worst outbreaks are concentrated in certain parts of the country, such as New York, experts warn that the highly infectious disease is certain to spread.

The U.S. is now more than a week into an unprecedented 15-day effort to encourage all Americans to drastically scale back their public activities. The guidelines, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are voluntary, but many state and local leaders have issued mandatory restrictions in line with, or even tighter than, those issued by the CDC.

On Monday, the U.S. saw its biggest jump yet in the death toll from the virus, with 609 America deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the outbreak began. Trump’s comments come after dire warnings by officials in hard-hit areas, including New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Tuesday that his state’s hospital capacity will soon hit a breaking point, even with the restrictions already in place.

“I gave it two weeks,” Trump said during the virtual town hall from the Rose Garden. He argued that tens of thousands of Americans die from the seasonal flu or in automobile accidents and “we don’t turn the country off.”

“We’ll assess at that time and we’ll give it some more time if we need a little more time, but we need to open this country up,” he added. “We have to go back to work, much sooner than people thought.”

Trump’s Easter target was not immediately embraced by Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator for Trump’s task force, who indicated any move would have to be guided by data still being collected. She suggested that public health professionals could recommend a general easing, while pushing for local restrictions to remain in the hardest-hit areas.

Trump acknowledged that some want the guidance to continue, but claimed without providing evidence that it would lead to “deaths” from suicides and depression.

“I’m sure that we have doctors that would say ‘let’s keep it closed for two years,'” Trump said. “No, we got to get it open.”

He added: “This cure is worse than the problem.”

Trump also criticized Cuomo, who has grown critical of the slow pace of federal aid to his state, particularly to fill its urgent need for ventilators.

The reassessment comes as the White House is encouraging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to pass a roughly $2 trillion stimulus package to ease the financial pain for Americans and hard-hit industries.

Appearing before the president at the virtual town hall, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump has asked for recommendations from the White House coronavirus task force for how he can send people back to work while minimizing the public health risk. He said Trump wants to find a way “to open America back up.”

Trump’s enthusiasm for getting people back to work comes as he takes stock of the political toll the outbreak is taking. It sets up a potential conflict with medical professionals, including many within his government, who have called for more social restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, not fewer.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases and a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, did not appear at the virtual town hall, but Trump denied there were any tensions between the two men.

Lawmakers have suggested that they’ll look to Fauci for guidance on when the restrictions should be lifted.

“I’m going to take my lead from Anthony Fauci.” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., on CNN. “That’s the person I trust, that’s the person Americans trust.

Fauci told WMAL on Tuesday that Trump has always heeded his recommendations.

“The president has listened to what I have said and to what the other people on the task force have said, when I have made recommendations he has taken them. He’s never countered or overridden me, the idea of just pitting one against the other is just not helpful,” Fauci said.

Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, told reporters Tuesday that “public health includes economic health.”

“That’s the key point. And it’s not either-or. It’s not either-or, and that’s why we’re taking a fresh look at it,” he said.

During a private conference call with roughly 30 conservative leaders on Tuesday, Pence reinforced Trump’s eagerness to lift coronavirus-related work and travel restrictions “in a matter of weeks, not months.”

Pence said there would be no formal decisions made until the current 15-day period of social distancing was complete when pressed on a specific timeline for lifting restrictions, according to a conference call participant who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the private discussion.

Pence told the group that accommodations would need to be made for the highest-risk populations if and when restrictions begin to be lifted.

Despite Trump’s rosy talk, other elements of the government were digging in for the long haul. Top defense and military leaders on Tuesday warned department personnel that the virus problems could extend for eight to ten weeks, or even into the summer.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a Defense Department town hall meeting that it could go into late May or June, and possibly even July. He said there are a variety of models from other countries, so the exact length of the virus and its restrictions are not yet clear.

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AP writers Lita Baldor in Washington and Steve Peoples in New York contributed to this report.

Around the globe, India, with 1.3 billion people, or one-sixth of the Earth’s population, ordered the biggest lockdown in the world. Just when it looked as if Italy might have turned the corner, officials reported a jump in new cases and deaths. And Spain had so many corpses it commandeered an ice rink to store them.

More than 400,000 people worldwide have been infected and over 18,000 have died, according to a running count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

In New York, now one of the biggest hot spots, authorities rushed to set up thousands of hospital beds for potential victims. But the number of cases is doubling every three days, threatening to swamp the city’s intensive care units in the weeks ahead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. New York State has recorded more than 200 deaths, or one-third of the U.S. total.

“One of the forecasters said to me we were looking at a freight train coming across the country,” the governor said. “We’re now looking at a bullet train.”

Cuomo proposed that the country send thousands of ventilators to New York City — the metropolitan area needs 30,000 of them, he said — and demanded that President Donald Trump use wartime authority to force manufacturers to produce them.

“People said it’s a war. It is a war. Then act like it’s a war!” Cuomo said.

Trump has invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to deter the hoarding but has been reluctant to use it to force companies to produce medical supplies. Vice President Mike Pence said on Fox News that 2,000 ventilators have been shipped to New York and 2,000 more will be sent on Wednesday.

The International Olympic Committee postponed the Olympics until the summer of 2021 at the latest, acting on the recommendation of Japan’s prime minister. That could be a heavy economic blow to Japan and could upset athletes’ training regimens, perhaps costing some of them a shot at a medal.

Still, the decision met with relief from some competitors.

“A huge decision but I think the right one for sure,” British sprinter Adam Gemili said on Twitter. “Time to regain, look after each other during this difficult period and go again when the time is right!”

In Washington, top congressional and White House officials said they expected to reach a deal during the day on a package to shore up businesses and send relief checks to ordinary Americans of $1,200 per person or $3,000 for a family of four.

Stocks rallied around the world on the news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging more than 1,400 points, or nearly 8 percent, as of midafternoon.

With Americans’ lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance, Trump said he hoped to reopen the country in less than three weeks.

“I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter,” he said during a Fox News virtual town hall.

But with infections in the U.S. reaching nearly 50,000, including more than 600 deaths, public health experts warned that would be a mistake.

Spain, meanwhile, registered a record one-day increase of nearly 6,600 new infections and a leap of about 500 in the death toll to almost 2,700.

The country started storing bodies in an ice rink converted to a morgue until they could be buried or cremated. Also, army troops disinfecting nursing homes discovered elderly people living amid the corpses of suspected coronavirus victims. Prosecutors opened an investigation.

As health care workers worked around the clock, they also struggled with scarce supplies.

“All over the country, you see examples of workers inventing homemade suits using plastics,” said Olga Mediano, a lung specialist at a hospital in Guadalajara, a city outside Madrid. “The protective suits are fundamental because without health workers we won’t be able to do anything.”

Amid the spiking numbers in Spain, relatives of elderly people and retirement-home workers were fearful.

“We live in anguish. We have no information whatsoever,” said Esther Navarro, whose 97-year-old Alzheimer’s-stricken mother is at a home in Madrid where coronavirus cases have been identified.

In Italy, a jump in the number of new deaths and cases over the last 24 hours dashed hopes fed by two days of declines. The 743 additional deaths reported Tuesday pushed Italy’s toll past 6,800, by far the highest of any country.

“Woe to whoever lets down the guard,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza said. ”Now, more than ever, the commitment of everyone is needed.”

In a distinct shift in the crisis, some 85% of new infections are coming from Europe and the United States. In fact, Chinese authorities said they would finally end the two-month lockdown in hard-hit Hubei province, where the outbreak first began.

World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris said cases around the world are expected to increase “considerably.”

“Just to put it in proportion: It took two years in the worst Ebola outbreak we ever had, the West African outbreak, to reach 11,000 deaths,” she said.

In Britain, confusion rippled through the country on the first morning after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a three-week halt to all nonessential activity.

The government told most stores to close, banned gatherings of three or more people and said everyone apart from essential workers should leave home only to buy food and medicine or to exercise. But photos showed crowded trains on some London subway lines.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “Ignoring these rules means more lives lost.”

For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. But for some older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. More than 100,000 people have recovered.

Elsewhere around the world, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi decreed a “total lockdown” of the country for 21 days. India has reported about 500 cases.

“To save India and every Indian, there will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Modi said.

Neighboring Pakistan ordered its railways shut down as infections climbed past 900.

The Philippine Congress approved a bill declaring a national emergency and authorizing President Rodrigo Duterte to launch a huge program and tap private hospitals and ships to help as the virus outbreak starts to take hold in the country, which reported more than 550 cases.

In contrast to other European countries, Germany offered some hope that it has flattened the exponential spread of the virus, which has infected some 30,000 people. The death toll was relatively low at about 130, and Germany has even taken in patients from France and Italy for treatment.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government approved a massive aid package to counter the economic fallout, offering more than 1 trillion euros ($1.1 trillion) to tide over small companies and entrepreneurs and pump capital into bigger companies.

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Rising reported from Berlin. Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Health experts have made clear that unless Americans continue to dramatically limit social interaction — staying home from work and isolating themselves — the number of infections will overwhelm the health care system.

Meanwhile, U.S. infections continued to rise, hitting 46,000 cases and over 530 deaths. Worldwide, more than 392,000 people have been infected and 17,000 have died from the virus that first emerged in central China late last year. As cases in China ebbed, the dangers to Europe and the U.S. have grown exponentially.

Here’s the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis in the U.S.:

Ford Partners With 3M, GE to Make Masks and Respirators

Ford Motors has partnered with 3M and GE Healthcare to create more medical equipment and supplies for health care workers, first responders and patients fighting coronavirus.

Ford is working with 3M to make powered air-purifying respirators. It is teaming with GE Healthcare to expand production of a simplified version of GE Healthcare’s existing ventilator design to support patients with respiratory failure or difficulty breathing.

Ford said it will also assemble more than 100,000 plastic face shields per week at one of its manufacturing sites and will use its in-house 3D printing capability to make components for use in personal protective equipment. The company already is producing masks and will test them at Detroit-area hospitals.

Ford also is looking at repurposing vehicle parts for use in respirators for health care workers and first responders such as the small fans used to cool seats in the F-150 pickup truck.

The companies said they didn’t have a time frame for when the much-needed ventilators might be produced.

FEMA Chief: White House to Use DPA to Procure Test Kits

The Trump administration will formally use the Defense Production Act for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday to secure thousands of COVID-19 test kits, according to FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor, CNBC reported.

Gaynor told CNN triggering the Korean War-era act, which allows the government to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies, will help the federal government acquire some 60,000 kits. He also said the White House planned on adding “DPA language” to its contract for 500 million masks.

“So we’re going to use it. We’re going to use it when we need it. And we’re going to use it today,” Gaynor said.

Cuomo: NY Needs 30K Ventilators, FEMA Sending 400

Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Tuesday the infection rate of coronavirus cases in New York is accelerating and the state could be two to three weeks away from a crisis that sees 40,000 people in intensive care.

Cuomo also criticized the federal response to the outbreak, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent the state 400 ventilators when they need at least 30,000.

“You pick the 26,000 people who are going to die because you only sent 400 ventilators,” Cuomo said in his daily briefing Tuesday.

The governor said the rate of new infections is doubling about every three days, standing at 25,665 as of Tuesday. The death toll in New York climbed to 183. 

A surge of infections would swamp hospitals, which now have just 3,000 intensive care unit beds in the entire state. New York now estimates it will also need 140,000 hospital beds, up from previous projections of 110,000.

“The rate of increase continues unabated. We’re not slowing it — and it is accelerating on its own,” Cuomo said. “We’re not looking at a freight train. We’re looking at a bullet train, because the numbers are going up that quickly.”

US Navy Sailor Tests Positive at Guantanamo Bay

A U.S. Navy sailor has become the first person to test positive for the coronavirus at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The base says in a statement Tuesday the unidentified sailor is isolated at home at the naval station along the southeastern coast of Cuba. The base says health authorities are attempting to track anyone who had contact with the sailor.

Medical personnel have been screening anyone who arrives at the base and the Navy has imposed social-distancing rules.

The naval station has a population of about 6,000 people. That includes about 2,000 foreign laborers from Jamaica and the Philippines.

There are still 40 prisoners held at the Guantanamo detention center. Most base personnel have no contact with the men held there.

McConnell: ‘We Are Very Close’ on Stimulus Package

Top congressional and White House officials said they expected to reach a deal Tuesday on a measure to shore up businesses and send relief checks to ordinary Americans. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin returned to the Senate Tuesday for final negotiations on a nearly $2 trillion measure aimed at easing the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Opening the Senate on Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said “we are very close” to reaching an agreement on the bill.

“Today we can make all of the Washington drama fade away,” McConnell said. “If we act today, what Americans will remember and what history will record is that the senate did the right thing.”

The sense of optimism extended to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who told CNBC: “I think there is real optimism that we could get something done in the next few hours.”

Tokyo Olympics Postponed Until 2021

The International Olympic Committee postponed the Olympics until 2021 on the recommendation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, adding the games to the long roster of sports events disrupted by the deadly outbreak.

The announcement was a nod to the reality that training and qualifying schedules have been ruptured beyond repair as the coronavirus spreads. Next up for the organizers is picking a date when it might be safe again to hold such a massive event. They’ll also have to rearrange the 2021 global sports calendar.

The IOC says the games will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Birx: There’s a ‘Fine Line’ to Balance Economy, Public Health

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the U.S. coronavirus response, said Tuesday that “there’s a fine line” between balancing the economic needs of Americans and the fight against the pandemic.

In an interview on the “TODAY” show, Birx was asked to respond to President Donald Trump’s assertion at a press conference Monday that the shutdown of many businesses around the country would last weeks, not months.

Birx said that “we have to be willing to adjust our plans as we see impact,” noting officials are evaluating data, including from Italy where after two weeks of a national lockdown the number of deaths has begun to decline.

Birx stressed that Americans should continue to heed guidelines on social distancing to guard against spread of the virus.

She said that “cases you are seeing right now” are “people who got exposed and sick two weeks ago.”

The S&P 500 galloped more than 6% higher, and the Dow jumped more than 1,400 points in afternoon trading as a wave of buying interrupted what has been a brutal month of nearly nonstop selling. Despite the gains, investors were far from saying markets have hit bottom. Rallies nearly as big as this have punctuated the last few weeks, and none lasted more than a day.

Tuesday’s optimism was born in large part from signs that Congress and the White House are nearing an agreement on close to $2 trillion in aid for the economy. Investors have been frustrated waiting for the U.S. government to do what it can to help the economy, which is shutting down by the day. The Federal Reserve is doing nearly all it can, and it launched its latest round of extraordinary aidMonday.

“I don’t think there’s any more confidence in the fundamental outlook, but the fact that we’re making progress is good news,” said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust Wealth Management. “It’s sort of like, keep the patient alive in the emergency room so you can provide some treatment options.”

The buying circled the world. South Korean stocks surged 8.6%, Germany’s market jumped 11% and Treasury yields rose in a sign that investors are feeling less fearful.

The market has seen rebounds like this before, only for them to wash out immediately. Since stocks began selling off on Feb. 20, the S&P 500 has had six days where it’s risen, and all but one of them were big gains of more than 4%. After them, stocks fell an average of 5% the next day.

“One of the things to be careful about is thinking this will be the panacea or that this fiscal response will be sufficient,” said Eric Freedman, chief investment officer at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

Ultimately, investors say they need to see the number of new infections peak before markets can find a floor. The increasing spread is forcing companies to park airplanes, shut hotels and close restaurants to dine-in customers. Altogether, estimates suggest at least 10% of the U.S. economy is shutting down, according to Rob Sharpe, head of investments and group chief investment officer at T. Rowe Price.

The S&P 500 was up 6.1%, shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern time. Earlier in the day, it was up as much as 8.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,402 points, or 7.5%, to 19,994, and the Nasdaq was up 5%. All are still down between a quarter and a third since mid-February.

Economists are topping each other’s dire forecasts for how much the economy will shrink this spring due to the closures of businesses, and a growing number say a recession seems inevitable.

To support the economy while health experts work to corral the virus, the Federal Reserve on Monday pledged to buy as many Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities as it takes to keep lending markets working smoothly..

Investors are waiting for Congress and the White House to also do what they can. They debated through the weekend and Monday on a plan to send cash to households and help support the hard-hit travel industry, among other things. After negotiations dragged through the night, a Senate vote could come later Tuesday.

That helped travel-related stocks surge to the market’s biggest gains. Norwegian Cruise Lines was up nearly 30%. MGM Resorts and American Airlines Group were both up 28%. The gains were even bigger earlier in the day. All, though, remain 60% or more below where they were last month.

Other areas of the market that were hardest hit in recent weeks were also helping to lead the market higher, including energy companies and banks.

Governments and central banks in other countries around the world are unveiling unprecedented levels of support for their economies in an attempt to limit the scale of the upcoming virus-related slump. Germany, a bastion of budgetary discipline, also approved a big fiscal boost.

The gains came even as the first reports arrived showing how badly the outbreak is hitting the global economy. In the United States, a preliminary reading on business activity in March showed the steepest contraction on record, going back to 2009. Reports were also gloomy for Europe.

“Everyone was prepared for a set of shockers, and that is precisely what we got, but they are not a surprise,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG. “It is at times like this that the market’s propensity to look forward is demonstrated most effectively.”

More dour data is nearly assuredly on the way. On Thursday, economists expect a report to show the number of Americans applying for jobless claims easily set a record last week. Some say the number could be way beyond 1 million, amid a wave of layoffs, toping the prior record of 695,000 set in 1982.

Helping to lift sentiment in markets is news from China that it is preparing to lift the lockdown in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and from Italy reporting a reduction in the number of new cases and coronavirus-related deaths.

“It’s still early days, of course — perhaps investors can start to envisage life beyond the coronavirus,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA Europe. “That could make stocks look a little more attractive, although anyone jumping back in now will need to have nerves of steel.”

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. Those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems. Recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

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AP Business Writer Joe McDonald contributed from Beijing.

The virus has infected a broad range of people, from elementary-school-age children to elderly nursing home residents.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms including fever. shortness of breath and cough. Recovery might take about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

Thirteen people in D.C., Maryland and Virginia have died from COVID-19, health officials say. That includes a 59-year-old D.C. man who had been fighting leukemia, three Virginia women in their 80s, and a Prince George’s County man in his 60s who suffered from underlying medical conditions.

As of Tuesday, 776 cases of coronavirus had been announced. D.C. had 137 cases, Maryland had 349 and Virginia had 290.

A Metrobus driver, two D.C. veterans, a Maryland police officer, several firefighters and several D.C. children are some of the latest to test positive for coronavirus. The youngest person to have contracted coronavirus is a one-year-old D.C. resident.

The Metropolitan Police Department said Monday that a second police officer tested positive for the virus and was recovering at home.

A U.S. Secret Service employee tested positive and is in quarantine. The Secret Service said the employee has not had contact with any other employees or protectees for nearly three weeks.

A TSA worker at Dulles International Airport also tested positive for COVID-19, according to the TSA’s website. The employee last worked Friday, March 13 at the East Screening Checkpoint. It’s not known where the TSA worker resides.

Local, state and federal officials say they are working together to minimize the spread of the virus.

Virginia: 290 Cases Confirmed

More than 250 people have tested positive for the virus in Virginia. Seven people in the state have died of COVID-19, health officials say.

Virginia officials on Tuesday announced the virus was spreading through communities. The state also announced its first case in a nursing facility.

Three Virginia women from Newport News, Williamsburg and James City County, all in their 80s, were hospitalized and died from respiratory failure related to COVID-19, officials say. One lived in a long-term care facility, officials said.

It’s not known how each of the women contracted the virus.

The Virginia peninsula has been hit hard by the global pandemic and James City County is the center of one of the state’s three outbreaks, meaning two or more cases can be traced to a common exposure, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday. The other two were in Richmond.

A teacher at Lynbrook Elementary School is among those who have tested “presumptive positive,” Fairfax County Public Schools said in a letter to parents Saturday night.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management confirmed an agency employee tested positive for COVID-19.

A U.S. Marine who is assigned to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County and lives at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Prince William County was the state’s first diagnosed case.

A patient in Arlington County was “associated with Christ Church in Georgetown,” where Washington, D.C.’s, earliest cases were found, county officials said.

Two patients in Fairfax County are “close contacts to a case identified in North Carolina,” the county government said. One is a man in his 60s whose spouse previously tested positive. The other is a man in his 20s.

One of the Fairfax City residents to test positive is a man in his 80s who went on a Nile River cruise and began to develop symptoms on Feb. 28, officials said. He was hospitalized March 5. His spouse later tested positive.

One Arlington patient is in their 60s and “developed fever, cough and shortness of breath after having returned from international travel,” the state health department said.

A Loudoun County resident in their 40s tested positive after “attending Christ Church Georgetown,” the county announced. The resident is a member of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, the county fire chief confirmed. “No other personnel who were in contact with this member are known to be experiencing any symptoms,” the chief wrote.

“The positive test result is considered a presumptive positive, pending confirmatory testing by CDC. The patient is currently doing well and is isolated at home,” the county said.

Additionally, health officials urged congregants and visitors to the Immanuel Chapel of the Virginia Theological Seminary to monitor themselves for symptoms after the organist at Christ Church Georgetown who has the virus spent time there.

Dozens of patients previously tested in Virginia came back with negative results for COVID-19.

DC: 137 Cases Confirmed

D.C.’s confirmed cases reached 137 on Monday. The majority of the new positive cases were people under 40 years old, with the youngest a 1-year-old girl and the oldest a 73-year-old woman.

A 65-year-old woman and a 59-year-old Franciscan friar have died from COVID-19 in D.C.

A rector in his 50s at Christ Church Georgetown was the first person to test positive. He had “no history of international travel and no close contacts with a confirmed case,” Bowser said. A 39-year-old organist at the same church later tested positive.

Anyone who attended the church on six dates in February and March was told to self-quarantine for 14 days because of possible exposure to the virus.

Another of the D.C. patients is a man from Nigeria. According to the mayor’s office, the man, who is in his 50s, traveled to D.C. and then went to Maryland, where he went to a hospital with symptoms.

Other D.C. patients who were among the first to be diagnosed include: a 77-year-old man who attended a conference held in Boston last month by the biotechnology company Biogen; a 59-year-old man with a history of travel to a Level 3 country; a 58-year-old woman who attended a conference in the District where other positive cases were identified; a 39-year-old man with a history of travel to a Level 3 country; a 24-year-old man with no known exposure; a 59-year-old woman who had contact with a previously identified case in the District and a 69-year-old woman with no known exposure.

Maryland: 349 Cases Confirmed

349 people have tested positive for the virus in Maryland as of Tuesday morning. Three Maryland residents have died from the virus, including a Prince George’s County man with preexisting medical conditions in his 60s.

A Prince George’s County Public Schools employee is among the latest to test positive. The employee works at Oxon Hill Development Center and does not have contact with students, the school system said. The health department is notifying all employees who may have been in close contact with the person.

One of the confirmed positive cases is a 5-year-old girl from Howard County.

Montgomery County has the most cases with 107 people who have tested positive for the virus.

A Baltimore County man in his 60s who had underlying medical issues was the state’s second death related to the coronavirus, Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday evening.

On Wednesday evening, officials announced the state’s first coronavirus-related death. A Prince George’s County man in his 60s died, Gov. Larry Hogan said.

One case in the county is an employee at the National Institutes of Health. A statement from NIH said the employee was not involved in patient care and was doing well at home under self-quarantine.

“While this is an unfortunate development, it is not surprising, and NIH expects that there will be more cases of infection among NIH staff,” NIH said in a news release.

NIH said the person was asymptomatic at work, which is believed to lower the risk of transmission.

Howard County officials reported Sunday that the county’s first case of coronavirus was a woman in her 80s who has underlying health conditions and is a resident at the Lorien Elkridge nursing home facility. The patient was hospitalized and the facility is notifying all residents, staff and family members. Check here for more information.

A woman in her 50s who lives in Prince George’s County contracted the virus on a trip to Boston, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said.

Two other Prince George’s County residents were diagnosed after returning from a cruise. Information was not released on where they traveled.

Three people in Montgomery County who were the first patients in the area to be diagnosed after they took a cruise in Egypt, on the Nile River, have fully recovered and can return to their daily lives. They are a woman in her 50s and a married couple in their 70s, who did not travel as a group.

A Montgomery County resident in his 60s and a woman in her 60s also later tested positive after visiting Egypt, Hogan said.

“This case is connected to the same Egyptian cruise ship as five of the state’s previous positive cases,” the governor said in a statement.

A Harford County woman in her 80s also caught the virus while traveling abroad. She visited Turkey, Hogan said. The Turkish Embassy said the woman had a “brief stopover” in Istanbul and flew from Albania.

A Montgomery County man in his 20s recently traveled to Spain.

A Baltimore County man in his 60s worked at AIPAC in D.C., which was attended by others who tested positive.

Quarantines & School Closures

Public schools across D.C., Maryland and Virginia willl close for some period of time in the coming days, and many churches are telling congregants to stay home. Here’s the latest on closures, cancellations and postponements.

What to Know About Coronavirus

More than 300,000 cases of the new virus have been confirmed worldwide, hitting China and Europe particularly hard. Hundreds of people in the U.S. have died.

Coronavirus is a family of illnesses that include the common cold and the flu and more serious illnesses including SARS. The COVID-19 virus is still being studied, but doctors say symptoms can include those similar to the cold and flu, including mild to severe respiratory symptoms.

Health officials urge people to socially distance and take typical precautions against spreading germs. Stay home unless absolutely necessary. Avoid contact with others. Self-quarantine for two weeks if you have any symptoms of coronavirus, including cough, fever and shortness of breath.

Wash hands often; use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol; don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with anyone who is sick; cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and disinfect frequently used objects and surfaces.

Officials say one of the best ways to prevent becoming ill is to wash your hands frequently.

If you believe you may have coronavirus, call your health provider before you visit so they can prepare and prevent the further spread of germs.

If you believe you may have coronavirus, call your health provider before you visit so they can prepare and prevent the further spread of germs.

Correction (Monday, March 23, 2020): This post has been corrected to reflect an accurate count of the number of deaths in the D.C. region.

“It felt greedy to say, ‘Well why don’t we do this whole other thing?’” said Pola Changnon, the network’s general manager.

Charles Tabash, the head of programming, told her he’d think about it. And less than 48 hours later, he came back with something even more ambitious: Three and a half days of films, special guest appearances and star-studded segments from past festivals to air in the comfort of viewers’ own homes. And with that, the TCM Classic Film Festival: Special Home Edition was born.

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“I got emotional when we made the announcement to cancel. The festival means something to us,” said TCM host Ben Mankiewicz of the March 12 decision. “We all just sensed that we had to do something.”

Starting at 8 p.m. Eastern on April 16 with George Cukor’s “A Star Is Born” and going into to the wee hours of April 20 with a 3:30 a.m. airing of Blake Edwards’ “Victor/Victoria,” the Special Home Edition is for the devotees who trek out to Hollywood every year for the festival as well as those who haven’t yet gotten to sip martinis at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel before watching a favorite film noir at the TCL Chinese Theater. And it couldn’t come sooner for these homebound times.

The home festival has something for everyone. Care to catch up with, or re-watch a few of the most revered films of all time? They’ve got “Casablanca,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and “North by Northwest” all scheduled. Or how about long form interviews with film legends from past festivals? They have those too with Luise Rainer, Eva Marie Saint, Faye Dunaway and Peter O’Toole, to name a few.

“It represents not only the breadth of what we might have done on a festival weekend but is also a great scrapbook of moments from the 10 years we’ve done this,” Changnon said.

You can also pay tribute to a recently departed legend like Max Von Sydow: Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” airs on April 17.

Mankiewicz remembers being particularly intimidated to interview Von Sydow at the 2013 festival.

“I was scared. Flat out scared,” he said. “But he was so great. He was so funny and charming and lovely and I’m glad that people are going to get to have a slice of him.”

They were even able to get Peter Bogdanovich out to tape a few segments. Bogdanovich will regale viewers the night of April 18 with his tales of Orson Welles as the co-host of a screening of Welles’ second feature, “The Magnificent Ambersons,” from 1942.

“Peter talking about Orson Welles is worth the price of admission,” Mankiewicz said.

And since they already had him in studio, they had him do one for “Casablanca” too.

For those looking for family fare, Mankiewicz said his nearly 7-year-old daughter loves “Singin’ in the Rain,” which will air at 6 p.m. on April 19.

“Musicals are a great, great opportunity to bring people together,” he said.

And for couples wondering what might make a good date night film, Mankiewicz suggests Jules Dassin’s 1950 noir “Night and the City” (April 18, 11:45 p.m.) with Gene Tierney, or “Red-Headed Woman,” a pre-code film starring Jean Harlow as a woman who uses sex to advance herself that airs at 2 pm on April 19.

Another pre-code gem is “Baby Face” with Barbara Stanwyck, playing early April 20.

“One of her conquests is a 25-year-old John Wayne,” he said.

Or if a documentary is more your speed, there’s always “Grey Gardens” or “Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story,” about a storyboard artist and one of the great movie researchers of all time, featuring interviews with Francis Ford Coppola and Mel Brooks.

Everyone was disappointed to have to cancel the festival, but there was no reason the show couldn’t go on in a slightly different way, especially with so much of the world at home. And the staff has been working hard to pull together this at home festival in time for airing. Mankiewicz said he was even up until 2:45 a.m. preparing scripts for the next day and he was nothing but grateful for the work.

“We’re not doctors, we’re not nurses, we’re not scientists,” Mankiewicz said. “But for many of our fans there’s a comfort we provide and it’s not nothing. All we can do is take the thing that we do seriously. And I’m happy to do something that matters to people even in some small way.”

___

Online: http://filmfestival.tcm.com/special-home-edition/ Highlights of the schedule: http://apne.ws/plvK58f

___

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

“We would recommend that there not be large crowds,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told congressional lawmakers on March 11. “If that means not having any people in the audience when the NBA plays, so be it.”

Here’s a list of some of the high profile concerts and festivals that have been impacted because of the virus.

FESTIVALS

• The Firefly Music Festival scheduled for June 18-21 in Dover, Delaware has been cancelled.
  
• France’s Cannes Film Festival, arguably the world’s most prestigious film festival and cinema’s largest annual gathering, has postponed its 73rd edition due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers of the French Riviera festival, scheduled to take place May 12-23, said Thursday that they are considering moving the festival to the end of June or the beginning of July.

• The Tribeca Film Festival has been postponed, organizers announced Thursday. The festival was set to run April 15-26 in New York City. The event officials said the will describe their plans in more detail at a later date.
• PaleyFest, the Paley Center for Media‘s television festival, has been postponed, the organizers announced Wednesday. The event was scheduled to kick off at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 14. The Paley Center has not picked a new date yet.
• The Coachella and Stagecoach musical festivals, which were scheduled for April in Indio, California, will be postponed to October, festival officials announced. Coachella is now set for Oct. 9-11 and Oct. 16-18. Stagecoach will take place on Oct. 23-25.
• Austin city officials canceled the South by Southwest arts and technology festival that had been scheduled for March 13-22. The announcement comes days after several high-profile companies, including Netflix, tech news outlet Mashable, video-based social media platform TikTok and U.S. chipmaker Intel, pulled out of the festival.
• Miami’s annual Winter Music Conference was canceled, organizers announced Monday (March 9), following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ state of emergency declaration earlier in the day. WMC had been scheduled for March 16-19.
• Also canceled in Miami was the Ultra Music Festival. Among the scheduled performers were Afrojack, Major Lazer, Zedd, David Guetta, Flume, DJ Snake, and Armin Van Buuren.
• In Los Angeles, the TCM Classic Film Festival was canceled, with organizers citing concerns about public health. The festival held in the heart of Hollywood was to run from April 16-19, kicking off with a screening of “Back to the Future.” Organizers say it will refund all ticket purchases.

CONCERTS

• Live Nation Entertainment and AEG Presents, the world’s largest live-entertainment companies, suspended all current tours through March.
• One of Britain’s biggest summer music events, the Glastonbury Festival, has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers say the festival, due to take place June 24-28, would be postponed until 2021.
  
• A large outdoor music festival in Atlanta has been postponed until fall. Organizers of the Shaky Knees Festival on Wednesday said the event featuring headliners The Black Keys, The Strokes and The Smashing Pumpkins is now set for Oct. 16-18.

• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame postponed its induction ceremony, which was to feature commemorations of the late artists Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G., as well as performances honoring Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex.
  

• Rock band The Who postponed their UK and Ireland tour that was scheduled to start Monday and run through April 8. 
• Grammy-winning country duo Dan + Shay rescheduled the spring leg of their US arena tour, after they said some of their concerts were being forced to mandatorily postpone.
• Blake Shelton postponed the last two weeks of his Friends and Heroes tour.
• Billy Joel postponed two shows in March and April for later this year.
• Billie Eilish has postponed North American performances for her WHERE DO WE GO tour until further notice. The dates range from her March 13 Philadelphia show to her April 4 St. Louis, Missouri stage.
• Reba McEntire postponed her scheduled tour, which was set to kick off next weekend. The tour will now launch July 9 in Huntsville, Alabama and wrap up Aug. 8 in Evansville, Indiana.
• Kenny Chesney announced he would be postponing 11 concerts that were part of his Chillaxification tour, starting with the April 18 Arlington, Texas show and ending with the May 28 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio performance. Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion, and Michael Franti & Spearhead were also performing as part of the tour.
• Chris Stapleton announced on Twitter that several show dates on his All-American Road Show tour would be postponed, including the March 12 show in Austin, Texas; the March 14 show in Arlington, Texas; the March 20 show in Biloxi, Mississippi and the March 21 performance in Birmingham, Alabama.
• Pearl Jam is postponing the North American leg of its Gigaton world tour because of concerns over the new coronavirus. The band announced Monday that March 18 through April 19 shows in Canada and the U.S. will be rescheduled. 
• Green Day postponed its March tour in Asia, which included stops in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.
• The K-Pop superstars from BTS canceled a string of tour dates planned for South Korea that were set to take place at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.
• Carlos Santana canceled concerts because of public health concerns and performance restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Grammy-winning star announced Tuesday that he has canceled the European tour dates of his Miraculous 2020 World Tour.
• The Rolling Stones are postponing its 15-city North American tour. The band announced Tuesday that its No Filter Tour, originally expected to kick off in San Diego on May 8, will no longer take place. 

• Madonna has canceled the last two stops of her latest tour in France after the country said it was banning events of more than 1,000 people to limit the spread of the coronavirus
  
• Elton John is postponing part of his North American tour due to the coronavirus pandemic. The superstar said Monday that the March 26 through May 2 shows of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour will be rescheduled. Tour performances for May 22 through July 8 remain as scheduled.

• Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl says he didn’t cancel shows when he broke his leg —and performed from a wheel chair onstage — but he must postpone his band’s tour because of the coronavirus. The rocker wrote Monday on Twitter that “playing a gig with a sock full of broken bones is one thing, but playing a show when YOUR health and safety is in jeopardy is another.” The band has postponed April dates of its Van Tour 2020, and says “information on the May dates will be forthcoming.”

• The Zac Brown Band has postponed the spring performances for its The Owl Tour. The first show of the spring leg was set for March 12 in St. Louis. The band asked fans to retain their tickets because they can be used for the new show dates.
• Pentatonix, which was previously a cover band, has canceled the European shows of its world tour. The first show was scheduled for March 16 in Poland.
• Post Malone‘s March 13 concert scheduled for Chase Center in San Francisco has been canceled.
• The Bell Biv Devoe & Friends concert scheduled for Chase Center in San Francisco has been canceled.

THEME PARKS

• Florida’s Disney World, Paris’ Disneyland and California’s Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks will shutter their gates because of the coronavirus, park officials announced Thursday. Florida’s and Paris’ parks will be closed starting at the close of business March 15 and will continue through the end of the month. California’s parks will be closed starting from the morning of March 14 through the end of the month. Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris‘ hotels will remain open until further notice, while Disneyland California’s hotels will close March 16.
• Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando said they will also shut down their parks starting March 14 and 15 respectively and that they expect to reopen at the end of March. Universal CityWalk in both will remain open.

FILM RELEASES

• Disney is pushing the release of Marvel standalone “Black Widow” amid growing concerns around the coronavirus. The movie, which was set to hit theaters in North America on May 1.
• Disney announced Friday that “Frozen 2” will begin streaming on Disney Plus Sunday, three months earlier than expected. In some countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, the movie will start streaming Tuesday.
• Disney announced Thursday it would be delaying the releases of “Mulan,” “The New Mutants” and “Antlers.” The live-action remake of “Mulan” was set to appear in theaters March 27 in the United States and March 26 globally. A Disney spokesman said Friday “While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our productions, after considering the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew, we have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time. We will continue to assess the situation and restart as soon as feasible.”
• The release of the James Bond film “No Time To Die” has been pushed back several months because of global concerns about coronavirus. MGM, Universal and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on Twitter Wednesday that the film would be pushed back from its April release to November 2020.
• Sony Pictures announced that it’s moving “Peter Rabbit 2” to August. “Peter Rabbit 2” had been set to hit United Kingdom and European theaters on March 27, and open in the U.S. on April 3. Instead, Sony said the sequel to 2018’s “Peter Rabbit” will launch on Aug. 7. Cinemas have been closed in China for several weeks. 
• The release of “A Quiet Place 2,” originally scheduled for March 20, has been postponed.
• Universal Pictures is moving back the release of the ninth “Fast and Furious” film by a year amid the coronavirus outbreak. The studio on Thursday said that “F9” will open on April 2, 2021. 

TELEVISION AND STREAMING

• Production on CW’s “Riverdale” has been suspended because a crew member came in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, Warner Bros Television said in a statement Wednesday. The company did not say when filming for the Vancouver, Canada-based series would resume.
• Beginning March 13, NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyer” will suspend production through their previously planned hiatus, which was originally scheduled for the week of March 23. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show With James Corden” joined CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah,” TBS’s “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” and “The Rachael Ray Show,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “TODAY” in announcing they’d be filming without live audiences.
• Production for the 41st season of CBS’s “Survivor” has been delayed until May 19, a spokesperson told NBC. The show was set to begin filming later in March in Fiji.
• Talk shows “Dr. Phil” and “The Wendy Williams Show” also cited health concerns for why the programs will be taping without live studio audiences until further notice.
• “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” will tape without studio audiences in response to the ongoing virus outbreak. The popular gameshows are the latest television project to shift plans due to the new coronavirus. CBS announced that it was suspending production on “The Amazing Race” in response to the outbreak.
• The American Film Institute says it is postponing its 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute honoring Julie Andrews. The organization originally planned to give Andrews its Life Achievement Award on April 25 in Los Angeles. It will be rescheduled for early summer. 
• Audience-participation heavy “The Price Is Right” suspended production.
• Production company Fremantle announced that it would put show tapings on hold “for the short term.” The company also said its shows “America’s Got Talent” and “Family Feud” will film without live audiences.
• Comedy Central’s “Lights Out With David Spade” and “Tosh.0,” will both tape without crowds.
• “One Day at a Time” has been taping without a studio audience.
• Several broadcasters at the so-called “upfronts” — at which networks unveil their fall schedules to sell advance commercial time to advertisers — will not feature massive in-person presentations. NBCUniversal, Fox and ViacomCBS said that their presentations, long held in New York City theaters such as Carnegie Hall, will be replaced by online specials and information for the advertising community. WarnerMedia says it is rethinking its presentation and will instead offer “a unique video experience” on May 13.
• The Emmy Awards are adjusting to the health crisis even though nominations aren’t due out until this summer and the ceremony is more than six months away. The early “for your consideration” Q&A panels held to drum up voter interest in shows and their makers as potential nominees will have to go online, the Television Academy said.
• Apple’s “The Morning Show” was among the many productions put on hiatus.

BROADWAY

• New York City’s iconic Broadway theaters suspended performances from March 12 until the week of April 13 to abide by the state’s restrictions on gathering sizes.
• Scott Rudin, the producer behind the Broadway productions of “West Side Story,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Lehman Trilogy,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and “The Book of Mormon,” announced all remaining tickets to all performances from March 12 through March 29 of these shows will be offered for $50, beginning Thursday at 12 noon Eastern.

SPORTS

• The NCAA has decided to cancel its Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments and its remaining winter and spring tournaments, just a day after announcing tournaments would be held with only essential staff and “limited family attendance.”
• The MLB suspended spring training games as of March 12. Opening Day of the 2020 season will also be delayed by at least two weeks. And the 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifier games in Tucson, Arizona have been postponed indefinitely, the league announced.
• The NBA has suspended its season after a player has tested positive for the coronavirus.
• The National Hockey League suspended its season Thursday but hopes to resume in the future.
• NASCAR has decided to hold races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway tracks without fans.
• PGA Tour officials announced Thursday that The Players Tournament in Ponte Verda, Florida was canceled as well as all other events through the Valero Texas Open, which was set to run from April 2 to April 5. 
• The Ivy League has canceled all spring athletics practices and competitions throughout the rest of the academic year, officials announced Wednesday, citing several school’s decisions to move classes online. The league had previously said it would only cancel conference tournaments in both men’s and women’s basketball in response to the coronavirus crisis. Both tournaments were scheduled to be played in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• The NYC Half Marathon and the Rising New York Road Runners youth event scheduled for March 15 have been canceled, the events’ organizers announced Tuesday afternoon. The event would have seen 25,000 participants running through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Runners that registered directly with New York Road Runners will be eligible for a full refund of the entry fee or free entry to next year’s half marathon.
• Major League Soccer announced on March 12 it had suspended its season for 30 days.
• USA Hockey has canceled its national championships, which were scheduled to take place in various U.S. locations on March 26. It also canceled its Disabled Hockey Festival, which was scheduled for March 29-29 and April 2-5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

For a full list of the coronavirus’ impact on other sports across the globe, click here.

PARADES

• New York City and Chicago announced Wednesday they would be postponing their St. Patrick’s Day parades to a “later date” because of the virus. It’s the first time the New York City parade has been postponed in its nearly 260-year history. Boston and Philadelphia had previously canceled their parades Tuesday.

AWARDS SHOWS

• The 47th Daytime Emmy Awards have been postponed until further notice. The ceremony was scheduled for June 12 in Pasadena, California. The National Academy’s Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards and Sports Emmy Awards were postponed earlier this week.
• The Billboard Music Awards ceremony, which was scheduled for April 29 in Las Vegas, has been postponed, the organizers announced. A new date has not yet been announced.
• The Kids’ Choice Awards, scheduled for March 22 in Los Angeles, has been postponed
• GLAAD, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer media advocacy organization, canceled its GLAAD Media Awards in New York on March 19.

OTHER

• The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was canceled for the first time in 64 years. The 65th contest was set to play out May 12, 14 and 16 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
• Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas; Austin, Texas; Chicago; Houston; New Orleans; Salt Lake City; Montreal; Boston; Tel Aviv; Meloneras, Spain; Munich; Costa Mesa, California; Denver; and the Australian cities of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth were all canceled.
• In Las Vegas, the Penn & Teller comedy/magic show and magician David Copperfield‘s show were also canceled.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints told its congregation Thursday that it would be suspending church gatherings worldwide, including worship services and sacrament meetings, until further notice.
• The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, will be canceled about halfway through its run as a precaution against the new coronavirus, city and county officials said Wednesday. 
• The Metropolitan Opera has canceled performances and rehearsals through March 31 because of the coronavirus. 
• The New York Auto Show was postponed Tuesday for the first time since World War II, CNBC reported. The show was set to start in early April, but it will now run Aug. 28 through Sept. 6. The event generally attracts more than 1 million visitors.
• CinemaCon, which was set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning on March 30, has been canceled.
• Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards is being postponed. The show was scheduled for March 22 in Los Angeles.
• The State of California asked that any gatherings of more than 250 people be postponed or canceled early Thursday morning. The announcement will likely affect many events across the state.
• New York has banned gatherings of more than 500 people.
• Ace Comic Con, which was scheduled for March 20-22 in Boston, has been canceled.

Shattered, certainly for now, is President Donald Trump’s ability to tout a brawny economy and record stock market prices as the predicate for his reelection. And it could be hard for Republicans to call Democrats socialists with a straight face as Congress approaches a bipartisan deal on a near $2 trillion rescue package that would essentially have government drive the economy indefinitely.

Democrats say they’re the party that will protect people’s health care, but it’s unclear that would be heard by people focused mostly on when life will return to normal. And by pounding away at Trump’s competence, they’d risk alienating voters who, during a stressful time, want policymakers to produce solutions, not partisan wrangling.

“We’re in the middle of a hurricane. We don’t know all the political consequences. We don’t know if it’s a Cat 1 or a Cat 5,” said GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak, referring to categories used to express the strength of storms.

Trump has seized public attention with almost daily briefings about the government’s response to the pandemic. That’s left former Vice President Joe Biden, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, and his party’s congressional candidates searching for ways to break into the news cycle.

Clearly, campaign themes are changing.

Five political advertisers had run ads mentioning the coronavirus through last week, according to Advertising Analytics, a firm that tracks ad data. That included one in Florida, in Spanish, by Biden, and two by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

“In times like this, we must work together,” Collins, who faces a competitive November reelection in a state that prizes independence, tells the camera.

Priorities USA, the largest outside Democratic political organization, planned to start ads Tuesday in election battlegrounds Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The spot contrasts the skyrocketing number of coronavirus cases with Trump’s own words, including, “We have it totally under control,” and ends with the words, “AMERICA NEEDS A LEADER WE CAN TRUST” displayed against a black background.

GOP operatives say Republican candidates must emphasize rallying behind the effort to battle the twin crises.

“The message is, ‘We all need to come together, support the president and vice president and do all we can to fight the virus,’” Republican strategist John Feehery said. “Throw everything else out the window.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee provided a memo last week offering guidance to its candidates.

“Remind followers through your actions that you take this seriously and would be a calm voice through crisis,” the House Democratic political arm said in the guidance obtained by The Associated Press.

It urged candidates to discuss the significance of health care access and affordability — issues that helped the party capture House control in 2018. It suggested asking voters, “How are you doing?” and “Do you need anything” during phone calls.

Among the first to test the new political world will be two rivals for an open seat in a narrowly divided House district in Los Angeles’ northern suburbs.

Republican Mike Garcia and Democrat Christy Smith face a special election in May, when voters seem certain to still be focused on the virus and the battered economy. As elsewhere, efforts to curb the infection’s spread means campaign phone calls and digital communications are replacing public events.

Both concede it’s hard to get people’s attention, but each said they are already sharpening their appeals to voters.

During tough times, people “retrench their patriotic feelings and remember what the important things are, and that’s God, country and family,” Garcia, a Trump supporter and former Navy fighter pilot, said in an interview. “We’re all on the same team.”

Smith, a state assemblywoman, said Americans will “rise to the occasion” but added, “Patriotism alone doesn’t set food on people’s tables.” She said Trump’s virus response has put the U.S. “woefully behind” the infection and it’s time for “a reckoning on what effective government looks like.”

Both parties say it’s too early to know if the virus will be contained and the economy resuscitated by the time voters focus on the fall campaigns — and whether they’ll blame or laud Trump and the GOP for the outcome.

Either way, Trump is casting himself as a wartime president in hopes of garnering the broad public support that usually goes to national leaders in times of crisis.

A Trump campaign fundraising committee emailed supporters Tuesday that despite the emergency, Democrats have “proved yet again that they’d rather HURT our Nation than work with their President and do what’s right.”

Biden used a fundraiser, held by phone, to swipe at Trump, who’s made numerous false statements about the virus, including on its seriousness and the availability of tests.

“We need to tell the American people the truth, the unvarnished truth,” Biden said.

“Look what we have in the White House right now,” said Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., using that same theme. Bustos, who heads House Democrats’ campaign arm, cited Trump’s lashing out at reporters during new briefings and said, “We all look for leaders to lead in a crisis.”

Democrats are also using the virus’ spread to reprise their call for better health care.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats marked Monday’s 10th anniversary of President Barack Obama signing his health care overhaul into law. “We couldn’t need it more” than during this pandemic, Pelosi told reporters about the statute. She blamed Trump for making “mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake” in handling the outbreak.

And on the Senate floor Monday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., underscored something both parties will be looking for: ways to taint the other for using the life-altering crises to seek political gain.

McConnell accused Democrats of viewing the chamber’s blocked economic bill as “a juicy political opportunity” and trying to stuff it with environmental requirements and other priorities.

“Are you kidding me? This is the moment to debate new regulations that have nothing to do with this crisis?” he said.

Still, Republicans concede the party faces a huge downside should the virus remain uncontrolled.

“If we become Italy,” said the consultant Mackowiak, citing the country with the highest death toll so far, “there’s no question the party in power would pay a political price for that. Absolutely no question.”

Even with sharply reduced schedules, airlines are consolidating some of the remaining flights because passengers aren’t showing up.

An official of one major U.S. airline, who asked that they and their airline not be identified, ticked off more than a dozen flights that departed on Tuesday morning with fewer than 10 passengers on board. In a few cases, the passengers were outnumbered by pilots and flight attendants.

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“There are no passengers,” said the official, noting that the average flight was just over 20% full and that figure is expected to drop into the teens by the weekend.

On Monday, the Transportation Security Administration said it screened 331,000 people at airport checkpoints. On the corresponding Monday a year ago, officers screened more than 2.4 million people — an 86% drop.

Major airlines are drafting plans in case they must shut down domestic flights because of a lack of air traffic controllers or airport screeners.

“We have plans in place in case that happens,” the airline official said. “It’s a dire situation.”

An official at another major carrier called it “prudent contingency planning” given that health experts advise against gathering of more than 10 people.

“We do not have plans to voluntarily ground, (but) we’re wary of government actions … that could force us to ground the airline,” such as the Federal Aviation Adminstration closing control towers or airspace or governors ordering that airports be shut down, said the person, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning that has not been made public.

The Wall Street Journal reported that government agencies were considering ordering a shutdown of virtually all passenger flights within the U.S. The newspaper said President Donald Trump and his advisers are reluctant to order a shutdown partly because passenger planes also carry U.S. mail and vital cargo.

The FAA, which provides air traffic control across the country, declined to comment on whether the agency was considering ordering a shutdown. “We don’t comment on speculation,” said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. “The FAA is focused on the health and safety of its workforce while continuing to provide a safe air transportation system.”

Airport towers at Chicago’s Midway International Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas remained closed Tuesday, nearly a week after shutting down because some employees tested positive for the new coronavirus. FAA workers at eight other facilities have also tested positive.

Trump administration officials including acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, have repeatedly declined to rule out the possibility of halting domestic airline travel while saying no such shutdown was imminent.

The airlines and their labor unions are lobbying Washington for relief. A proposal by Senate Republicans would provide $50 billion in loan help and another $8 billion for cargo carriers, but the airlines say they need cash grants to avoid layoffs in an industry that employs about 750,000 people.

U.S. airlines have already cut most of their international flights and have announced plans to reduce service within the U.S. by up to 40% in April. Those drastic planned cutbacks in service now seem hopelessly optimistic, given the few people who continue to fly.

More than 8,300 U.S. flights were canceled Tuesday, according to tracking service FlightAware. In some cases, airlines consolidated flights to avoid flying empty planes.

United Airlines canceled 51% of its flights, American dropped 46% of its schedule and Delta scrapped 39%, according to FlightAware. Southwest canceled 15%.

As recently as March 8, TSA screened more than 2 million travelers, but the numbers have steadily declined ever since.

The TSA said 24 screeners and six other employees at 14 U.S. airports have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the past two weeks. The most recent confirmed cases were at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Indianapolis International Airport and McCarran in Las Vegas.

The new virus and a global recession will do more financial damage to airlines than previously estimated, according to an industry trade group.

The International Air Transport Association said Tuesday that it now estimates that passenger revenue worldwide could fall as much as $252 billion, or 44% compared with last year because of the decline in travel. That is based on strict travel restrictions lasting up to three months, followed by a slow economic recovery.

Less than three weeks ago, the group estimated the virus could reduce airline revenue by up to $113 billion compared with 2019, before a new round of travel restrictions that have stopped most international air travel.

___

Ben Fox in Washington contributed to this report.

“We could not be more disappointed in the action that Jerry took in telling students they could come back and take their online classes on campus,” Lynchburg City Manager Bonnie Svrcek told The Associated Press.

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As college campuses across the country began announcing campus closures earlier this month, Liberty, which is among the nation’s largest and most prominent evangelical institutions, initially planned to continue on-campus instruction. But last week, after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam restricted gatherings of more than 100, Liberty said it would transition most classes online.

Residential students were told they were welcome to return to campus. The move was at odds with many other institutions of higher education that have urged students to stay home amid the health crisis that’s upending daily life around the globe.

Liberty spokesman Scott Lamb said about 1,100 students were back on campus as of Tuesday morning.

The university said it is providing safe and reliable accommodations and taking extra steps to ensure students’ health, including extra sanitizing measures and changes to on-campus dining.

Falwell, one of President Donald Trump’s earliest and most ardent supporters, has speculated on Fox News that coronavirus may have been the work of North Korea.

The virus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and young people who show no symptoms can infect others. It can cause severe illness or death, particularly among the elderly and people with underlying health problems, and severe cases are already stressing the health care system’s capacity to respond.

Svrcek said the city has fielded concerned phone calls.

“People are saying, ‘This is terrible. What can you do?’” she said.

Dr. Kerry Gateley, a regional health director for the Virginia Department of Health’, said his office had also received calls from worried citizens and parents of Liberty students.

Walgreens, Costco and Trader Joe’s are joining a growing list of retailers dedicating early morning shopping hours for older customers.

Starting March 24, Walgreens will carve out senior shopping time every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Walgreens also announced customers 55 years and older will get special discounts on Tuesdays.

Costco customers aged 60 or older will be able to shop exclusively between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The members-only chain also began expanded hours on March 24.

“The pharmacy will also be open during this hour; however the food court will maintain its normal operating schedule,” Costco wrote in a Facebook post. “These hours apply to all locations except the Business Centers, which will remain open during regular hours.”

Trader Joe’s started offering a senior-only shopping hour on Monday. The specialty grocery chain has reserved for the 9 a.m to 10 a.m. shopping hour daily for elderly customers.

The theory is that allowing seniors to shop among smaller crowds could reduce their chances of acquiring the virus and give them first crack at buying hand sanitizer and other products that have been hard to find because of panic shopping.

Whole Foods announced on March 18 its stores will be open solely to shoppers who are 60 and older for the first hour daily. Visit the Whole Foods website for a full list of store hours.

Walmart said it will host an hourlong “senior shopping event” every Tuesday for customers 60 and older, one hour before stores open to the general public.

Target has set aside an hour every Wednesday morning for vulnerable shoppers, including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

Albertsons Companies — the parent company for stores like ACME, Safeway and Jewel Osco — made a similar announcement earlier Tuesday.

Albertsons Companies said in a press release that its more than 2,200 nationwide stores will reserve every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. for senior citizens, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals and other at-risk groups to shop.

“We are sensitive to the fact that everyone is anxious to make sure they have the items they need, and we also know that everyone wants their neighbors to stay safe and healthy, too,” the statement read. “We thank our customers in advance for their compassion and understanding toward their neighbors and friends, and in helping us maintain this temporary operations guideline.”

The company also advised shoppers to check their local store’s website for exact opening times.

Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based discount retailer Dollar General announced last week that it would dedicate the first hour of its daily store operations to senior citizens in response to the new coronavirus.

Dollar General said that starting March 17, it is strongly encouraging younger customers to let senior citizens get needed supplies and avoid busier and more crowded shopping periods later in the day.

“We appreciate our customers’ understanding of our decision and request they visit our stores later in the morning to allow at-risk populations the ability to purchase the items they need at affordable prices,” said Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos.

Dollar General operates s16,000 stores in 44 states.

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For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The state’s health department said the Prince George’s County resident was in his 60s and suffered from underlying medical conditions.

The health department also reported that Maryland has had at least 349 cases of the new coronavirus. That’s 61 more than on Monday. It’s also the biggest one-day jump in confirmed cases in the state so far.

On Tuesday morning, Gov. Larry Hogan visited the Baltimore Convention Center, where the Maryland National Guard is working to create a field hospital to treat people with the virus.

The new coronavirus first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 has infected nearly 400,000 people and caused more than 17,000 deaths worldwide. Those numbers continue to rise. The number of people who recovered from the virus surpassed 103,000.

COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, has killed thousands, sent millions more into quarantine and self-isolation and wreaked havoc on the world’s economy. The World Health Organization officially declared the crisis a pandemic on March 11 with President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency two days later.

Countries battling the outbreak have shuttered restaurants, schools and limited public gatherings to enforce social distancing. The U.S. has restricted border crossings with both Mexico and Canada. Some states, including New York, Illinois and California, have ordered residents to stay home with a few exceptions.

On March 16, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines to avoid unnecessary exposure, urging Americans to limit social gatherings to no more than 10 people, continue their education at home, avoid discretionary travel and avoid bars, restaurants and food courts.

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How Long Will Coronavirus Last?

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on March 20 that Americans will most likely have to continue staying at home and practicing social distancing for “at least several weeks.”

“If you look at the trajectory of the curves of outbreaks and other areas, at least going to be several weeks,” Fauci said in an interview with Savannah Guthrie on the “TODAY” show.

“I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now it’s going to be over. I don’t think there’s a chance of that. I think it’s going to be several weeks.”

For the latest information, check out the CDC’s website, as well as the World Health Organization’s site. State and city governments are also sharing phone numbers for local hotlines and other resources. Follow all our coronavirus coverage here.

Coronavirus Symptoms

What to know if you think you or someone close to you might be infected: Based on the reported cases of the virus, the CDC has narrowed the symptoms to fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms of the virus appear 2-14 days after exposure. The average incubation time, though, is five days, and 97.5% of people infected with the virus will show symptoms within 12 days, according to a recent study.

Call your doctor for advice if you think you’ve developed COVID-19 symptoms.

How to Get a Coronavirus Test

If you think you may have the coronavirus and want to get tested, figuring out where to go can be confusing and challenging. The availability of coronavirus tests in the United States is changing rapidly and depends on where you live. NBC News reached out to the health departments for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories for information on how they are handling testing and what recommendations they have for people seeking tests.

Is There a Coronavirus Vaccine?

Scientists worldwide are racing to develop tests, treatments and vaccines to combat the COVID-19 disease.

Near term, tests are the priority, CNBC reported. Beyond testing, regulators are trying to get treatments approved as quickly and safely as possible to serve as a bridge to a vaccine, which is likely to take 12 months, according to the U.S. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.  

Health-care experts broadly agree that a treatment is likely to come before a vaccine. “If a good treatment emerges, whatever it is, we expect regulators to prioritize expeditious review,” Laura Sutcliffe, a UBS health-care analyst said in a research note. 

U.S. researchers gave a healthy volunteer the first shot of an experimental coronavirus vaccine on March 16 — a milestone that was just the first step in a long process. The study is run by scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle. The shots were developed by the National Institutes of Health in record time after the new coronavirus exploded from China. Experts say it will be at least a year before any vaccine is ready for widespread use.

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How Is the Coronavirus Spread?

The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community in affected areas, according to the CDC.

Coronavirus Spreading:

• Person to Person: People who are in close contact (within 6 feet) of each other. When the infected person coughs or sneezes, they release respiratory droplets that can land in the mouths or noses of the people nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• Asymptomatic: Thus far people are thought to be contagious when they are the sickest (most symptomatic), but it is possible to spread the virus before symptoms occur. There have been reports of this occurring with the coronavirus, but it is not the main way the virus is spread.
• Infected Surfaces and Objects: A person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose and eyes, though this is not the main way the virus is spread, according to the CDC.
• Community Spread: People have been infected with the virus in the area, including people who are not sure how or where they became infected.

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No Evidence That It Spreads From Food or Packages: The CDC says “there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging,” but say it is always important to wash hands with soap and water before and after handling for general food safety.

Think You Have the Coronavirus?

Stay at Home Unless Medical Care Is Needed: Those with a mild form of the virus are able to isolate at home during the illness. They should restrict all outdoor activities except for medical care. This includes avoiding public areas or going to work or school. Refrain from using public transportation, ride-sharing services or taxis, the CDC says.

Call Ahead Before Visiting a Doctor: If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider and tell them that you have or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. This will help the health care provider’s office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.

Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the president’s coronavirus task force, said testing for the virus would be covered by private and government health insurance. Government health care plans like Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act plans cover the tests, as well as major insurers. Those with employer-provided health insurance should check their plan co-pays and deductibles may apply.

How to Prevent Spreading the Coronavirus If You’re Infected

One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under finger nails before rinsing off.

You should wash your phone, too. Here’s how:

Cover Your Coughs and Sneezes and Wash Your Hands: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in a lined trash can. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (the length of the “Happy Birthday” song). If soap and water are not available, clean hands with an alcohol-based (at least 60% alcohol) hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

How to Self-Quarantine:

• Stay away from other people in the home as much as possible. Stay in a specific room and, if available, a separate bathroom.
• Restrict contact with all other pets and animals while you have the virus. There have not been confirmed reports of pets or animals becoming sick with the coronavirus, but it is still recommended that people with COVID-19 limit contact with other animals until more information is known of the virus. If caring for a pet while you have the virus, wash your hands before and after all interactions and wear a face mask.

When and How to Wear Gloves: Gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene. If gloves are required to complete a task, wash hands before and after donning gloves. And don’t just toss the gloves once you’re done; follow the CDC’s guidelines on proper glove disposal.

Avoid sharing personal and household items: While you have the coronavirus, avoid sharing drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels or bedding with other people in your home. After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.

Clean all surfaces every day: Surfaces like counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathrooms fixture, toilets, phone keyboards, tablets and bedside tables should be cleaned daily and thoroughly with a household cleaning spray or wipe. Clean any surfaces with bodily fluids like blood or stool.

Monitor symptoms: Seek medical care if the illness is worsening. Notify your health care provider that you are being evaluated for the coronavirus and use a face mask before entering the facility. This will prevent the virus from spreading to others in the office or waiting room. People who are actively monitored or are self-monitoring should follow instructions provided by health professionals.

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Should I Take Ibuprofen?

While worries that taking ibuprofen might worsen the coronavirus have gone viral online, health experts say there is currently no credible scientific evidence to substantiate the concern.

The World Health Organization told NBC News it’s “gathering evidence” on the topic, but “after a rapid review of the literature, is not aware of published clinical or population-based data on this topic.”

When Is It OK to Leave Isolation?

How long someone is sick with COVID-19 can vary, so decisions on when to release someone from isolation are made on a case-by-case basis, according to the CDC. Still, these requirements must be met: the person is fever-free without having taken medicine and no longer shows any other symptoms, like a cough. The person should also have tested negative at least twice, 24 hours apart. If you are isolating at home, talk to your healthcare provider before ending precautions.

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TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION: How to Get Around, or Not, Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak

What to know if you think the outbreak will affect your upcoming air travel plans: While airlines flying to Asian countries suffered the first wave of cancellations, carriers heading in and out of Europe and North America have followed close behind as the outbreak continues. With the evolving nature of the outbreak, some airlines have increased their flight cancellations and have even begun waiving fees for those who previously booked flights to some countries.

For the most up-to-date air travel information and guidelines, see our running list of airlines that have put various flight cancellations and fee-waiving policies into effect since the disease outbreak on Jan. 20, when the first confirmed cases occurred outside of mainland China.

And U.S. airlines in turn are seeking government assistance of more than $50 billion, including a mix of direct aid and loan guarantees, as the industry reels from the coronavirus outbreak.

What to know if you would love to avoid public transit, but you don’t have a car and you can’t work from home: Public officials are encouraging people to avoid using public transit whenever possible. For those who rely exclusively on public transit to get around, officials recommend avoiding crowded buses and train cars, even if it means waiting longer for a less-crowded commute.

What to know if you have been told to work from home until further notice: Working from home is different. It may take you longer to do things, and it may be more difficult to communicate with colleagues. It’s easy to get frustrated, but these tips can help you to stay on task and in touch with your colleagues when you’re confined to isolation.

Telecommuting can also raise new privacy and cybersecurity issues, especially for those used to working in-office with internal access to secure company networks. Here are some things to keep in mind when setting up your temporary home office and logging on.

And if you find yourself just feeling stuck while at home, there are ways to make the best of a bad situation, according to “Shark Tank” investor Daymond John.

“You have to make sure that you take that time to switch things up, adjust and get ready for this change,” he said.

CANCEL CULTURE: Major Event Cancellations and Closures

What to know about cancellations and postponements of concerts, tournaments, parades, festivals, marathons, matches, marches and more: The fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues to hit the sports and entertainment worlds particularly hard as the number of events being postponed or canceled continues to add up. Officials in some states have banned large gatherings to promote “social distancing” efforts aimed at keeping the virus at bay. The CDC has advised that any events with more than 50 people in attendance should be canceled.

“We would recommend that there not be large crowds,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told congressional lawmakers on March 11. “If that means not having any people in the audience when the NBA plays, so be it.”

Here’s a running list of high-profile concerts, sports, and tourist attractions that have been closed, canceled or rescheduled to minimize the virus’ spread: Festivals, Concerts and Other Events Canceled or Postponed Due to Coronavirus Fears. Major businesses and corporations like Nordstrom and Regal theaters have also shuttered because of the virus.

With restaurants and stores shuttering across the United States, several companies have decided to offer discounts and deals to alleviate the closures’ financial, emotional and technological costs on consumers, institutions and other businesses. Here is a list of deals, discounts and freebies companies are offering amid the pandemic.

Social Distancing

An increasing number of U.S. states are moving to close “non-essential businesses” to limit the coronavirus’ spread.

“Any time you increase your exposure to public areas, you increase your risks,” Charles P. Gerba, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Arizona, told TODAY Food.

After France, Israel and Spain joined Italy in closing down restaurants to help stem surging coronavirus outbreaks, officials in Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Washington state ordered bars to close and for restaurants to go take-out or delivery only.

A growing number of major retailers are temporarily shutting down operations: Nike, Under Armour, Warby Parker, Patagonia, REI, Urban Outfitters and American Girl have closed the doors on their retail locations. Columbia Sportswear joined the list Monday, shuttering its North American stores until at least March 27. The company is offering “catastrophic paid leave” to employees most affected by COVID-19. The Gap cut store hours in the U.S. and Canada and following government guidance for further action.

Coronavirus Rattles World Economy

Global markets have been hit by the uncertainty amid the pandemic. A host of retail chains have shut their doors or diminished hours of business. Banks are taking steps to keep cash on hand, lots of it. Markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. have been plunging.

The Fed on Sunday made an emergency cut to its key interest rate, slashing it by a full percentage point to a range between zero and 0.25%. The central bank said it would stay there until it feels confident the economy can survive a near-shutdown of activity in the United States.

Danielle Abreu, Sevanny Campos and other staff contributed to this report.

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For the past few months, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living with 10-month-old son Archie Harrison in Canada after previously residing in the U.K. Both countries are among the more than 150 nations affected by the virus, which has killed more than 8,200 people. Harry and Meghan posted their message of support on Instagram on Wednesday, two weeks before their royal exit from the monarchy will go into effect.

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“These are uncertain times. And now, more than ever, we need each other,” their post read. “We need each other for truth, for support, and to feel less alone during a time that can honestly feel quite scary. There are so many around the world who need support right now, who are working tirelessly to respond to this crisis behind the scenes, on the frontline, or at home. Our willingness, as a people, to step up in the face of what we are all experiencing with COVID-19 is awe-inspiring. This moment is as true a testament there is to the human spirit.”

“We often speak of compassion,” they continued. “All of our lives are in some way affected by this, uniting each of us globally. How we approach each other and our communities with empathy and kindness is indisputably important right now.”

They added, “Over the coming weeks, this will be our guiding principle. We will be sharing information and resources to help all of us navigate the uncertainty: from posting accurate information and facts from trusted experts, to learning about measures we can take to keep ourselves and our families healthy, to working with organisations that can support our mental and emotional well-being. In addition, we will focus on the inspiring stories of how so many of you around the world are connecting in ways big and small to lift all of us up.”

“We are all in this together, and as a global community we can support each other through this process – and build a digital neighbourhood that feels safe for every one of us,” the post read. “We look forward to sharing more over the days and weeks to come…”

Harry and Meghan recently visited the U.K. to attend their final official events as senior royals. They did not bring Archie with them, reportedly out of concern for his health amid the pandemic.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday that she would sign an order directing nonessential businesses, including tattoo parlors, tanning salons, salons and barbershops, to close.

The District is expected to put out guidance by 5 p.m. Tuesday so business owners know what to do. A precise timeline of when nonessential businesses should close will be detailed then.

The city has adopted a number of measures to promote social distancing and encourage people to stay in their homes, hoping to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

D.C. students were scheduled this week to return to class via distance learning.

City leaders stressed that it’s not a time for vacation and said teachers are available by phone, email and more to students. Bowser said the city has established the DC Education Equity Fund, which aims to ensure student have the technology and internet access and basic necessities to learn remotely.

Starting Wednesday, March 25, the DMV, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and Department of Transportation will not be available for in-person customer service, the city announced Tuesday.

The deadlines for government documents, inspections and other requirements are postponed, the mayor said.

The expiration date for driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations and other DMV-issued documents that were set to expire between March 1 and April 28 is extended to May 15. All tickets will remain in their current status until May 15.

DCRA functions will be moved online, including permit and plan reviews. Business licenses that expire during the emergency will be considered valid until 45 days after the city-issued emergency ends.

Any public space permits must be applied for online.

In-person services are expected to resume April 27, which is also when D.C. has said students can go back to class.

The city is also working to ensure that health care workers have child care options available. Preliminarily, some centers will reopen Thursday for certain families, according to the mayor’s office.

D.C.’s confirmed coronavirus case count reached 137 on Monday. The majority of the new positive cases were people under 40 years old, with the youngest a 1-year-old girl and the oldest a 73-year-old woman.

D.C. residents are encouraged to stay inside unless absolutely necessary. The city has issued several orders to encourage social distancing, including barring dine-in service at restaurants, closing schools and restricting access to the Tidal Basin, where many visited to see cherry trees in bloom.

Officials will “move along” anyone who is seen in public in a group, the mayor said.

The 66-year-old talk show host had pneumonia late last year. She also finished taking antibiotics for a bronchial infection last week. So when Graham returned from a business trip on Thursday, Oprah didn’t want to take any chances of getting sick. After all, she said her longtime love had been “one of those” who had been “late to the party” in terms of understanding the severity of the global coronavirus pandemic. So when he asked her what the procedure was for coming home, Oprah didn’t think twice.

“The procedure is you ain’t coming and sleeping in my bed,” Oprah said. “Literally…he goes, ‘I’m not?’ I go, ‘Oh, no no no no. It doesn’t work that way. Have you not been paying attention to the news? Social distancing doesn’t mean you’re going to sleep in the bed with the person when you just got off American Airlines….We cannot play that game. We’re taking it very seriously.”

Fascinating Facts About Oprah Winfrey

To be clear, Graham hasn’t tested positive for the virus or shown any symptoms. Still, Winfrey is keeping her distance for now. Although, she still leaves him daily meals on the doorstep, and they enjoy little chats.

“My friends say, ‘Oh isn’t Stedman upset?’ Oh no, he’s not,” Oprah explained. “He’s happy to make me safe.”

General Advisories

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says nonessential businesses must close and school buildings will remain closed through the end of the academic year.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this week that nonessential businesses will be ordered to close and police will direct gathering groups to move along. Previously, the mayor ordered restaurants and bars to only serve takeout. Nightclubs and “multi-purpose facilities” are also closed for the time being.

Maryland closed down all nonessential businesses on Monday. Restaurants were previously instructed only to offer carryout, delivery and drive-through service. The state banned all gatherings of more than 10 people.

Federal Offices Teleworking

Federal offices in the D.C. area are open with maximum telework flexibilities to all current telework eligible employees, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management said Sunday night. Check here for more information.

Grocery Stores, Retailers and Malls

Allbirds: Closed until March 27

AMC Theaters: Closed March 17 until further notice

Apple: Closed until March 27

Arundel Mills & Arundel Marketplace: Closed until further notice

Bloomingdale’s: Closed until March 31

Cinemark: Closed beginning March 18

Clarksburg Premium Outlets: Closed until further notice

Columbia Sportswear: Closed until March 27

Disney: Closed beginning March 17

DSW: Closed beginning March 17

Fair Oaks Mall: Adjusted hours – Mon-Sat 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. & Sun 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Foot Locker: Closed until March 31

Gap: Closing some stores

Giant Food: Customers 60 and older, as well as those with compromised immune systems, can shop 6 a.m. – 7 a.m. Regular store hours for everyone else.

Goodwill: Closed March 21 until further notice

Harris Teeter: Closed at 9 p.m. every day.

Home Depot: Closed at 6 p.m. every day

J.C. Penney: Closed until April 2

J. Crew: Closed until March 28

Kohl’s: Closed until April 1

L.L. Bean: Closed until March 30

LA Fitness: Closed until April 1

Land’s End: Closed until March 29

Leesburg Premium Outlets: Closed until March 29

Lululemon: Closed until March 27

Macy’s: Closed until March 31

Madewell: Closed until March 28

New Balance: Closed until March 27

Nike: Closed until March 27

Nordstrom: Closed until March 30

Patagonia: Closed until March 27

Peloton: Closed until March 29

Pentagon City Mall (Fashion Centre at Pentagon City): Closed Until March 29

Potomac Mills: Closed until March 29

Regal Cinemas: Closed until further notice

REI: Closed until March 27

Safeway: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. shopping window on Tuesdays & Thursdays for senior citizens, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems. Check local store for other shopping hours.

SoulCycle: Closed until further notice

St. Charles Towne Center: Closed until further notice

Tanger National Harbor Outlets: 11 a.m to 7 p.m.

Target: Closing at 9 p.m. every day. The first hour of shopping each Wednesday dedicated to senior citizens and those with underlying health concerns.

Trader Joe’s: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Under Armour: Closed until March 28

UNIQLO: Closed until further notice

Urban Outfitters: Closed until March 28

VF Corp. (The North Face, Jansport, Timberland, Vans):
Closed until April 5

VIDA Fitness: Closed until March 31

Warby Parker: Closed until March 27

Walmart: Adjusted Hours, 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Customers 60 and older can shop 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesdays

Wegmans: On adjusted hours. Stores in Virginia will open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Stores in Maryland will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Westfield Montgomery, Wheaton & Annapolis: Closed until further notice

Whole Foods: Check local store for adjusted hours. Customers 60 and older can shop one hour before opening.

School Closures

Virginia will close all public schools through “at least” the end of the academic year, the governor announced Monday.

Maryland will close all public schools March 16-27, the governor announced.

D.C. will close public schools from March 16 to April 24, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

Alexandria City Schools: Closed March 16 to possibly April 13

Arlington Public Schools: Closed March 16. Return April 14.

DC Public Schools: Closed March 16. Return April 27.

All schools will be closed for students from March 16 to April 24. March 16 will be professional development for teachers and spring break will be March 17 to March 23. There will no longer be a Spring Break period in April. From March 24 to April 24, students will participate in distance learning.

DCPS prepared instructional contingency plans that will allow meaningful, relevant learning to take place while schools are closed. We developed resources for every level in grades PK-8 and each graduation requirement course for grades 9-12. Information about how to pick up printed copies of these lessons throughout the city or access them online will be shared in the coming days.

Meals will be available for all students every weekday from Monday, March 16-Tuesday, March 31 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Check here for locations.

Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed Through April 10

• All FCPS school buildings are closed until further notice. Food distribution at FCPS sites will continue as scheduled.
• With the school buildings closed, the laptop distribution scheduled for Monday is postponed.  
• All FCPS administrative offices are closed until further notice.
• Only essential personnel as defined by FCPS program managers and supervisors will be asked to report to work until further notice. All other employees will work remotely. It is expected that all FCPS personnel reporting to work will practice social distancing to the greatest extent possible.

Beginning Monday, FCPS is expanding grab and go food distribution sites to a total of 18 locations. The food distribution is set up outside the schools.   Breakfast will be served from 8-10:30 a.m. and lunch from 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the locations listed here. 

Falls Church City Public Schools: Closed Through April 14

Fredericksburg City Public Schools: Closed March 13-22

Loudoun County Public Schools: Closed Through April 10

Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed March 16-27

Students may pick up grab-and-go meals Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. No appointment is necessary. For a complete list of participating locations for meal pick-up, please go here.

Prince George’s County Public Schools: Closed March 12-27

Students can still pick up free breakfast, lunch and dinner meals at 25 schools in the county. Kids do not need to be accompanied by an adult and they can pick up all three meals at once.

Prince William County Public Schools: Closed March 14-April 14

• All school-age child care (SACC) is closed until further notice.
• No PWCS employees should report until further notice (with the exception of designated food service employees, custodians, and designated staff to support critical business who should report as directed).
• Packaged breakfasts and lunches will be provided to-go at select locations throughout the county, to anyone under the age of 18.  View school sites and times for to-go meals.
• All activities and community use are canceled until further notice.
• Per the Governor’s order related to the state of emergency, the state will waive the school hours missed during the Governor’s order covering the closure until at least March 27. Beyond this time, PWCS will continue to have 13.5 days of emergency hours “snow-days” to utilize if necessary to cover school closing.   

Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools

All schools in the archdiocese will be closed March 16-27.

SHABACH! Christian Academy, Maryland

SHABACH! Christian Academy will be closed from March 16 – March 27. Students and parents will receive additional communications directly from the school.

The Basilica School of Saint Mary

The Basilica School of Saint Mary in Alexandria, VA will be closed from March 17 until at least April 13. Parents and guardians should check email for more details.

Closed Sites

Washington, D.C. DMV

The Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will close in-person customer service centers starting Wednesday, March 25. Deadlines to renew documents will be pushed back. Here are more details.

City of Alexandria Public Spaces

The city of Alexandria and the Alexandria City Public Schools announced a series of closures on Saturday for public areas including: recreation centers, dog parks, playgrounds and fields.

MGM National Harbor

MGM National Harbor will temporarily close operations by midnight on Monday to comply with Gov. Hogan’s emergency order.

“We will reopen as soon as it is appropriate and safe to do so,” MGM CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle said in a statement Sunday.

Prince George’s County Government Buildings

Starting Monday, Prince George’s County will close all of its government buildings and senior residents who rely on meals from the county will now get those meals delivered to their homes. Check here for more info.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress will close its buildings and facilities until April 1. All library public programs are also postponed or canceled through the end of March.

Montgomery County Public Libraries

All branches will be closed March 16-27.

Washington Monument

The National Park Service temporarily suspended elevator tours of the Washington Monument March 14. People can still visit the grounds.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is closed to the public until further notice. The building will be open for official business and case filing deadlines are not extended.

Maryland State Courts

Maryland state courts will be closed to the public for three weeks beginning March 16.

Employees are to report to work, and the courts will be staffed to handle emergencies like domestic violence petitions, bail reviews, juvenile detention and shelter hearings, and search warrants. Judges can use remote electronic means when possible.

All in-court proceedings in the Southern Division U.S. Courthouse in Greenbelt are temporarily suspended. All emergency criminal, civil and bankruptcy matters will be heard in the Northern Division U.S. Courthouse in Baltimore until further notice.

Virginia Supreme Court

All non-essential and non-emergency court proceedings will be suspended from March 16 until April 6.

Attorneys are required to use e-fillings when possible.

D.C. Court of Appeals

The court is postponing all arguments.

D.C. Superior Court

Criminal and civil trials postponed until May 11.

White House Tours

According to a tweet from NBC News Political Reporter Josh Lederman, “Out of an abundance of caution and until further notice, White House tours have been canceled.” The National Park Service has confirmed this to News4.

United States Capitol Visitors Center and Tours, Congressional Offices

The U.S. Capitol and House and Senate office buildings are closed to visitors and tours through April 1, the Associated Press reports.

DC Public Libraries

DC Public Libraries will close on Monday, March 16 and will reopen on Wednesday, April 1, Mayor Bowser said in a tweet on Friday.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery

The brewery will close to visitors from March 13 until further notice.

The Mall in Columbia

The shopping center will be closed for seven days, starting Monday, March 16.

Alexandria Library

All Alexandria library facilities will be closed on Wednesday, March 18 through Tuesday, March 31. More details are here.

Event Cancellations

National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, Petalpalooza and More Events

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade that was scheduled for Saturday, April 4 and Petalpalooza festival scheduled for Saturday, April 11, are both canceled.

The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date.

The Anacostia River Festival will be postponed until Sunday, August 9

D.C.’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The District’s St. Patrick’s Parade scheduled for March 15 has been postponed, the parade’s committee announced on Tuesday. The decision “was made in the effort to ensure the safety and health of the thousands of attendees from the Washington area that attend the parade every year,” the committee said in a statement.

White House Easter Egg Roll

The Office of the First Lady announced the White House Easter Egg Roll has been canceled.

“The health and safety of all Americans must be the first priority,” First Lady Melania Trump said.

Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center has canceled all public performances and events scheduled through May 10. Check here for more information about what you can do if you have tickets to canceled shows.

Ford’s Theatre

Ford’s Theatre Society is altering its schedule through April 4. Updates will be posted on www.fords.org.

St. Pat’s Run Fest, Arlington, Virginia

The 2020 St. Pats Run Fest is canceled. Participants have been moved to the 2021 event.

Some National Cherry Blossom Festival Events

Several events for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., are now canceled or postponed, festival organizers announced Wednesday.

Check here for a list of those events.

I.M.P. Music Venues

I.M.P is postponing all events scheduled at the 9:30 Club, Lincoln Theatre and The Anthem. This also includes some events at U Street Music Hall.

The company says it will be in touch with people who have tickets for shows in March once there is a new show date. People may request a refund or tickets to another show of a similar value. Shows will resume on April 1.

Capital One Arena

There will be no events at Capital One Arena until further notice, including NBA and NHL games.

Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament

The 2020 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will not allow attendance to its events. The games will be limited to those working directly with participating teams.

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer has suspended all matches for 30 days effective on March 12.

Washington Capitals

DC Defenders

The XFL will not play its regular season games. Ticket holders will receive refunds or credit toward future games.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

Originally scheduled for March 28, the marathon will not be run. The half marathon and 5K distances will be postponed to the fall. Registered athletes will receive details via email.

Marine Corps 17.75K

The Marine Corps 17.75K scheduled for March 28 is canceled. Registrants will still earn guaranteed spots in the 45th Marine Corps Marathon in October.

Echostage

The Ekali show on March 14 and the Nervo/Deorro show on March 21 have both been postponed. The Ekali show has been rescheduled for August 29 and the new date for the Nervo/Deorro show is to be determined.

Miss DC for America and Mrs. DC America Pageant 2020

The 2020 Miss DC for America and Mrs. DC America pageant previously scheduled for April 4 at the Kennedy Center has been rescheduled for June 6.

Church Closures

Services at D.C.-Area Episcopal Churches

The Washington National Cathedral and hundreds of other Episcopal churches in the D.C. area are closed after the Episcopal Diocese of Washington canceled all public worship services and normal parish operations for two weeks, effective March 12.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said that the diocese will asses the situation on March 25, with the aim to reopen worship services on March 29. The Washington National Cathedral will livestream its worship services on Sunday, March 15 and Sunday, March 22. White Elephant donations are also postponed until further notice.

Archdiocese of Washington

No Masses open to the public will be celebrated beginning March 14 until further notice. Archbishop Wilton Gregory issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass to all parishioners. Wedding and funerals can go on but should be limited to immediate family. All Catholic schools in the archdiocese will be closed March 16-27.

Catholic Diocese of Arlington

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge has granted dispensation from Sunday Mass obligation to everyone over 60 years of age, those with chronic illness and those with immune system deficiencies. This also includes people who provide care for people with these conditions.

All major non-liturgical events scheduled for March 14 and 15 are canceled or postponed.

The diocese says it encourages parishioners who have symptoms such as fever, cough and body aches, to avoid coming to Mass or participating in any parish activity until 24 hours after symptoms have subsided.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints told its congregation Thursday that it would be suspending church gatherings worldwide, including worship services and sacrament meetings, until further notice. Local leaders will figure out how to make the sacrament available to members at least once a month.

The First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland

For the week of March 14 – March 21, all First Baptist Church of Glenarden facilities/campuses will be closed to everyone except essential employees. No worship services will be held on Sunday, March 15. Members are encouraged to worship from wherever they are, or visit their YouTube channel.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

The Basilica will be closed to the public on March 17 until further notice. The National Shrine will continue to livestream their Mass every Sunday at noon.

Universities Moving Online

American University

Starting Wednesday, March 18, all American University classes will move online, continuing through the end of the semester.

The university said it encourages students to go home for the rest of the semester. Students who are not able to do so are advised to contact the Office of Campus Life for help.

Bowie State University

Bowie State University is canceling classes on March 12 and March 13 in preparation for remote instruction.

The university says students should not plan to return to campus after spring break until April 6. Students are advised to take everything they need when heading back home for spring break in case the university closes for an extended period of time.

The Catholic University of America

Catholic University said classes will remain online through the end of the semester and residence halls will remain closed.

Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University will move all classes online from March 23 to May 4. Core functions and services will be available remotely.

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is moving all on-campus classroom instruction online beginning March 16 until further notice.

The university advises students to remain home while online instruction is ongoing, but the campus will remain open.

George Washington University

George Washington University will move most classes online for the remainder of the semester. The May commencement ceremonies will not be held in person.

All faculty and staff will maintain regular work schedules, and the university will remain open throughout this period.

Howard University

Howard University will move to remote instruction until the end of the semester. Residence halls will close March 22.

The university said Commencement and All Class Reunions are canceled.

Marymount University

Classes will resume online on March 18 and will continue remotely through March 29.

University of Maryland

The University of Maryland canceled all classes on March 13. Long-distance learning will continue through the end of the semester for University System of Maryland universities, and there will not be traditional commencement ceremonies.

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia said it will move all classes online beginning March 19. The University also prohibited and canceled all events with more than 100 people. The university’s buildings and UVA Health will remain open.

Students are encouraged to stay at home or return home. The University said it will allow students back on campus when it is safe.

Washington Adventist University

Classes will be canceled March 16 and 17 to prepare for online learning, which will begin March 18 and continue through April 3. Residence halls and the dining hall remain open. All athletic events and other events planned for 250 people or more are canceled. The WAU New York Concert Tour is canceled.

Self-Quarantines

Christ Church Georgetown, D.C.

“All visitors to Christ Episcopal Church, Georgetown on February 24th, and between February 28th and March 3rd could have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, and DC Health is recommending that anyone who visited Christ Episcopal Church, Georgetown on those dates isolate themselves at home for 14 days from the last time they visited the church.”

Immanuel Chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary

On March 10, 2020, the Alexandria Health Department was notified that a resident of Washington, D.C., who now has a confirmed case of COVID-19 spent time at the Immanuel Chapel of the Virginia Theological Seminary. All congregants and visitors to the Immanuel Chapel between February 26 and March 4 are advised to monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days from their last visit, as they may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

Securities and Exchange Commission, D.C.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC) is requiring some Washington, D.C., employees to telework after learning that an employee is being tested for the coronavirus.

The SEC is requiring all employees and contractors who work on the ninth floor of the D.C. headquarters, where the patient worked, to telework, “out of an abundance of caution.” All other headquarters personnel are encouraged to telework.

Transportation

DC Streetcar

Streetcar service is temporarily suspended.

Arlington Cemetery Station Metro Station

The Arlington Cemetery Blue Line Station is closed because the cemetery is closed to regular visitors. Trains will bypass the station.

Arlington Transit

The Arlington Transit Bus Service will be reduced starting March 16. ART 41, 42, 45, 51, 55, 77 and 87 will operate on Saturday schedules.

Go here for additional changes.

Montgomery County Department of Transportation

Ride On and Ride On Extra will stay on normal schedules.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will suspend fares for its Ride On service.

Go here for more information.

Prince George’s County TheBus

Service suspended on Routes 11, 12, 14, 15x, 21x, 22, 23, 25, 27, 34, 35s, 51 and 53. No fare charged on TheBus routes in service until further notice. Riders enter and exit using the rear doors only to limit close contact with drivers with exceptions for those with disabilities and mothers with strollers.

OmniRide

Friday service levels will be offered during weekdays starting March 25 on these OmniRide Express routes:

• D-100 Dale City-State Department
• D-200 Dale City-Pentagon-Rosslyn/Ballston
• D-300 Dale City-Pentagon-L’Enfant Plaza-Navy Yard
• L-200 Lake Ridge-Pentagon-Crystal City
• MC-200 Montclair-Pentagon
• 602 Manassas-Pentagon

The following routes will not operate as of March 25:

• D-400 Dale City-Mark Center
• L-100 Lake Ridge-DC
• L-300 Lake Ridge-Mark Center
• MC-100 Montclair-DC
• RS-South Route 1
• Tysons-Woodbridge
• 601 Manassas-DC
• 543 Stafford-DC

These routes will continue to operate regularly scheduled service:

• 611 Gainesville-Washington
• 612 Gainesville-Pentagon-L’Enfant Plaza-Navy Yard
• 622 Haymarket-Ballston-Rosslyn
• 942 Stafford-Pentagon
• 60 Manassas Metro Express-Tysons
• 61 Linton Hall Metro Express-Tysons
• Prince William Metro Express-Franconia-Springfield
• 96 East-West Express
• All OmniRide Local and OmniRide Access paratransit services

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The man’s wife told NBC News she’d watched televised briefings during which President Donald Trump talked about the potential benefits of chloroquine. Even though no drugs are approved to prevent or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, some early research suggests it may be useful as a therapy.

However, the toxic ingredient the couple consumed was not the medication form of chloroquine, known as hydroxychloroquine, but chloroquine phosphate, an ingredient listed on a parasite treatment for their pet fish.

The couple — both in their 60s and potentially at higher risk for complications of the virus — mixed a small amount of the substance with a liquid and drank it as a way to prevent the coronavirus. The wife says they became sick within minutes, and her husband died shortly after they arrived at the hospital.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

Hospitals across the country are limiting visitors and the number of people who can be in a room with a pregnant woman while she gives birth. One hospital in New York City has enacted the strictest policy yet: Banning partners from delivery rooms.

NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals confirmed to TODAY that obstetric patients are not allowed to have any visitors, which applies to “birthing partners” and “support persons.” The policy went into effect Monday, March 23.

“We understand that this will be difficult for our patients and their loved ones, but we believe that this is a necessary step to promote the safety of our new mothers and children,” hospital representatives said in a statement.

In a video message to the public, Dr. Laura L. Forese, executive vice president and chief operating officer of NewYork-Presbyterian, explained that New York City is the “epicenter for the U.S. outbreak.”

Across all its campuses, NewYork-Presbyterian has 654 inpatients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Yoko Furuya, medical director of infection prevention and control and hospital epidemiology, added, “Over the weekend, some of the changes that went into place around labor and delivery patients have to do with patients who showed up with mild symptoms of COVID-19 that were attributed … to symptoms of labor and late pregnancy.”

Examples included shortness of breath and fever during delivery. The new policy also requires that all labor and delivery patients receive COVID-19 testing and a mask upon arrival.

In Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is only allowing new moms one visitor. UW Medicine in Washington state, another COVID-19 epicenter, changed its policy to two visitors during birth and one afterward.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, also confirmed that it switched from allowing four visitors per expecting patient to just one.

“Almost all hospitals, to my knowledge, have either restricted visitations to one or no visitors,” Dr. Melissa Simon, OB-GYN, vice chair of clinical research at Northwestern, told TODAY. “We only allow one visitor, and they can’t be switched.”

One first-time mom-to-be Jordan Kafenbaum — who’s due Sunday and planning to deliver at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Weill Cornell facility — told TODAY that she didn’t think her husband missing the birth “would ever be a reality.”

“I’m not worried about physically getting through it by myself,” she said. “I’m just sad that my husband won’t be there to participate and have that important, initial bonding with our baby.”

She added, “(When you’re in labor) you’re not necessarily in a position to seek help when you need it, and you wonder if there are enough nurses to account for the extra help laboring women will need.”

While Kafenbaum is glad her hospital will proactively test her, she’s researching other hospitals where she might be able to give birth alongside her husband.

“The biggest challenge is finding someone who will see you this late in your pregnancy,” she said. “I think it’s only a matter of time when every hospital enacts this.”

Restrictions have also complicated plans for Kelsey Nixon, who’s expecting her fourth child via surrogate. Her carrier, Megan Blackhurst, is due April 4, and they learned Monday morning that their intended hospital, St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, is only allowing one support person.

Because Nixon didn’t want to ask Blackhurst to give birth without her husband or to bring up their situation with St. Luke’s administration, the family has opted for a home birth. Blackhurst has experience with home birth, which made Nixon feel more comfortable.

“When I saw these things unfold, it was the first time I truly felt panic, not only for myself but for my carrier,” the 35-year-old told TODAY.

Although Nixon and Blackhurst, 26, arrived at a decision they believe is best for them, Nixon said she’s “heartbroken” for the women affected by these restrictions.

“(Birth) is such a formative experience, and we’re intended to have support in these situations,” she added.

Across the country in the Seattle area, another first-time mom, Allison Schumer, 30, is worried that restrictions will tighten even more by her due date, May 6. Her hospital, Evergreen Health Medical Center in Kirkland, Washington, currently allows one partner and one birth support person.

“My anxiety is going crazy with ‘what if?’ scenarios,” she told TODAY, via email. “When it is time for (my baby) to come and we get to the hospital, is my husband just supposed to wait in the car while I deliver our child alone? … Hope that I can FaceTime him so he can meet his daughter for the first time? Hope for a ground-floor room so a nurse can hold her up to the window? Wait by the curb after I get discharged and wheeled to the car for him to finally see our daughter for the first time?”

She added, “For a time in our lives that is supposed to be the most exciting and most joyful time, I can’t help but worry about what is to come and how long this will affect the hospitals.”

Jennifer Birkhofer, 32, director of commerce for NBC News Digital, who’s due April 1, told TODAY that her hospital, Lenox Hill in New York City, will allow her husband in the delivery room for the time being.

“I had this idea of everyone sitting in the waiting room and my husband coming out and saying the name and having this special moment,” she said. “I know this is a time of crisis and I completely understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, it’s just an unexpected reality. But I can’t imagine not having my husband there.”

Hospitals across the country have implemented other restrictions to protect pregnant women and their babies. For example, Jefferson Health in Philadelphia and UC San Diego Health in California have suspended tours of their facilities. Many are also conducting risk-assessment screenings, which look for symptoms like coughing and fever.

As one official at UW Medicine told TODAY, “Precautions evolve.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Watch choirs inspire with virtual performances while social distancing
• Yes to screen time: Why experts say screen time during quarantine is OK
• See Trump’s reaction when he heard one of his top docs was tested for coronavirus

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The International Olympic Committee made the decision after speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and local organizers.

The IOC said the games will be held “not later than summer 2021” but they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” the IOC said in a statement.

Before the official announcement, Abe said Bach had agreed with his proposal for a one-year postponement.

“President Bach said he will agree ‘100%,’ and we agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 at the latest,” Abe said, saying holding the games next year would be “proof of a victory by human beings against the coronavirus infections.”

On Sunday, Bach said a decision on postponing the games would be made in the next four weeks. But pressure grew as national federations, sports governing bodies and athletes spoke out against having the opening ceremony as planned on July 24.

The decision came only a few hours after local organizers said the torch relay would start as planned on Thursday. It was expected to start in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, but with no torch, no torchbearers and no public. Those plans also changed.

“For the time being, the flame will be stored and displayed in Fukushima,” organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said.

The Olympics have never before been postponed, and have only ever previously been canceled in wartime.

Organizers will now have to figure out how to keep things running for another year, while making sure venues are up to date for possible another 12 months.

“A lot can happen in one year, so we have to think about what we have to do,” said Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the organizing committee. “The decision came upon us all of a sudden.”

The IOC and Tokyo organizers said they hope the decision to postpone will help the world heal from the pandemic.

“The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present,” the IOC statement said. “Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

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Virginia’s governor announced Monday afternoon that all schools will be closed through the academic year, Maryland ordered all nonessential businesses to close and D.C. said any groups of people will be asked to disperse. 

“We’re in this for months, not weeks,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference. 

D.C.’s mayor and the governors of Maryland and Virginia each urged residents to stay home as much as possible. 

“Together, we are promoting social distancing and encouraging all of our residents to stay at home and avoid crowds and gatherings. In each of our jurisdictions, we will be enforcing crowd control measures and social distancing standards,” the leaders said in a joint statement issued Monday night. 

The restrictions are designed to slow the spread of the virus. As of Monday afternoon, 679 cases in D.C., Maryland and Virginia were known. D.C. had 137 cases, Maryland had 288 and Virginia had 254. Eleven people with the virus died. 

The assistant fire chief for D.C. Fire and EMS and seven firefighters were among those sickened in D.C. 

Internationally, Japan’s prime minister said Tuesday the head of the International Olympic Committee agreed to delay the Tokyo Olympics by up to a year because of the virus. 

D.C.’s mayor is set to address the public at 11 a.m. Virginia’s governor is expected to speak at 2 p.m. You can watch both news conferences live on NBCWashington.com and in the NBC Washington app. 

A little something to lift your spirits as we buckle up for another day of coronavirus news: The owner of a diner in Northern Virginia has responded to the crisis by offering free meals. 

“We turned our kitchen into a community kitchen,” said John Wood, the owner of 29 Diner in Fairfax. 

Data as reported on Mar. 23, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET
Source: Johns Hopkins CSSE
Graphic: Shiying Cheng, Nelson Hsu/ NBC Owned Television Stations

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Obama, who has remained mum on many of the biggest issues to arise during President Donald Trump’s time in office, is now routinely posting messages to Twitter — and cross-posting some to his Facebook following — promoting safety measures, explaining the reasoning behind strong new restrictions to combat the virus, and sharing stories he finds inspiring of individuals and organizations that have taken action during the crisis.

As Trump used Twitter to post messages late Sunday into Monday suggesting his administration may reverse course on elements of its call to action in response to the outbreak in an effort to jumpstart the economy, Obama posted a link to a New York Times story detailing “harsh steps” that may still need to be taken or expanded upon to stop the transmission of COVID-19.

“Here’s a useful summary of the current best thinking among public health experts on how we need to approach the fight against COVID-19 in the coming weeks,” Obama said a post retweeted roughly 20,000 times.

Read more at NBC News.com.

Frank described a lonely scene in his hospital room, where staff entered infrequently as he struggled with distressing symptoms (Frank is a pseudonym. News4 will not release the patient’s name or where he’s being treated to protect his privacy).

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Last Wednesday, Frank visited a D.C. hospital to get tested for the coronavirus. On Saturday, he returned to the same hospital when his symptoms got worse.

“It felt like ten people were sitting on my chest and I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t catch my breath,” he told News4.

It’s not confirmed whether or not Frank has coronavirus. Most people who do get coronavirus have mild symptoms including cough and fever. Some people, especially those in risk groups, may get more serious symptoms and require hospitalization.

The hospital stay gave him a front-row seat to the difficulties facing hospitals as they deal with an influx of patients and medical staff as they try to conserve supplies.

Frank said he had limited interaction with doctors and nurses, which appears in line with the Centers for Disease Control guidelines to limit the possible exposure of medical staff.

He said he didn’t often get his vitals checked or trash can emptied. Staff said they didn’t have the necessary equipment to enter the room, according to Frank.

Since the outbreak began, hospitals have reported a shortage of personal protective equipment, including masks.

“You would think that [this hospital] would have the medical equipment to deal with this type of outbreak. But they don’t,” he said.

Frank was released on Monday, but he says he still doesn’t know his diagnosis.

“I’m being released with a temperature of 101, not knowing if I have COVID-19 with pneumonia and being told that they will call me and let me know and just hope for the best,” Frank said.

The hospital told him to expect results by the end of the week. In the meantime, he can’t help but feel guilty that he may have exposed other people including his partner.

Until then, he’s waiting at home, hoping to limit the spread of his sickness.

“I don’t want to be the cause of someone else being in the situation I’m in,” he said.

Craig Spencer is director of global health in emergency medicine at New York-Presbyterian / Columbia University Medical Center. He splits his time between working in the ER and responding to epidemiological crises around the world.

In 2014, Spencer gained a measure of notoriety as New York’s first Ebola patient, having contracted the disease while responding to an outbreak there.

Now Spencer is getting attention again, this time for his exhausted description of how severe the coronavirus outbreak has become in New York City.

“Finally home after 13 hours in the ER. Today >90% of my patients were confirmed or likely #COVID19. Many really sick, some in their 30s like me. The sirens on otherwise empty NYC streets are unending & haunting. I’m tired. But really honored to be back in the ER in the morning,” Spencer said in a tweet just before midnight Sunday.

By Monday night, it had already been “liked” nearly 117,000 times.

Spencer later returned to Twitter on Monday night to chronicle “A Day in the Life of an ER Doc” in New York City, where the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak of the pandemic is now located with more than 20,000 cases, roughly a third of the country’s total.

The doctor wrote down the details in his day, from waking up at 6:30 a.m. and making enough coffee to last the entire workday to finally coming home to his toddler who he hadn’t seen in days.

“Sometime in the afternoon you recognize you haven’t drank any water. You’re afraid to take off the mask. It’s the only thing that protects you,” Spence wrote.

He went on to emphasize the importance of staying and home and social distancing because “Hospitals are nearing capacity. We are running out of ventilators. Ambulance sirens don’t stop.”

“Everyone we see today was infected a week ago, or more. The numbers will undoubtedly skyrocket overnight, as they have every night the past few days. More will come to the ER. More will be stat notifications. More will be put on a ventilator,” he continued. “Where did all the heart attacks and appendicitis patients go? Its all COVID.”

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Spencer became an Internet sensation Monday after tweeting about a 13-hour ER shift where 90 percent of his patients had the coronavirus disease.

So he took to the Internet again in the wee hours of Tuesday morning to update on just how much worse the situation was.

(You can also read Spencer’s full Twitter thread here.)

New York City recorded its first case of COVID-19 on March 1. As of the evening of March 23, the city had more than 13,000 confirmed cases and 125 deaths.

The city now represents roughly 30% of all infections nationwide, and 1% of the global death toll since the virus’s outbreak last year.

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The letter posted online Tuesday referred to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, saying the expulsions threaten access to information at a time when it is needed most. It was signed by the publishers of The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

“This move — made in retaliation for recent expulsions by the United States government — is one that we would protest under any circumstances,” they wrote. “But it is uniquely damaging and reckless as the world continues the struggle to control this disease, a struggle that will require the free flow of reliable news and information.”

China said last week that most Americans working for the three publications would have to surrender their press cards within 10 days. The move followed a Trump administration decision to limit the number of visas for Chinese working for China’s major state media in the U.S.

The U.S., in announcing the visa limit, cited increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation of American and other foreign journalists working in China.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called his country’s actions “essential countermeasures against the unreasonable oppression of the Chinese media organizations in the U.S.” He said the American newspapers should take their complaint to the U.S. government.

Chinese media including the official Xinhua News Agency and the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV are now restricted to a total of 100 visas. Collectively, they employed about 160 Chinese in the U.S., meaning about 60 would have had to leave.

The Chinese action applies to Americans whose credentials are due to expire by the end of the year. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China said at least 13 journalists would be affected. They are effectively expelled because their visas are tied to their press cards.

“The media is collateral damage in a diplomatic dispute between the Chinese and U.S. governments, threatening to deprive the world of critical information at a perilous moment,” the letter from the newspaper publishers said.

The coronavirus pandemic started in China and has spread to most of the rest of the world.

The publishers urged the Chinese government to reverse the expulsions and ease what they called a growing crackdown on independent news organizations in China.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said the Consumer Protection Division is conducting an extensive investigation into the sales scripts employees received to quell virus fears coming from potential customers and sell cruise packages.

“We are in the thick of a public health crisis like our modern world has never experienced,” Moody said in a statement. “Let this serve as a warning to anyone seeking to mislead consumers during these challenging times.”

The Miami New Times reported earlier this month that it obtained emails showing managers encouraged sales employees to use misleading information such as that the new coronaviruscould only survive in cold temperatures.

The news outlet said cruise bookers received scripts instructing them to give wary travelers erroneous information such as “the Coronavirus can only survive in cold temperatures, so the Caribbean is a fantastic choice for your next cruise.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is not clear whether the spread of COVID-19 will diminish when weather becomes warmer. Other viruses spread more during cold weather months, “but that does not mean it is impossible to become sick with these viruses during other months,” the CDC states.

Moody said the Miami-based cruise line is cooperating with the investigation. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, U.S. infections continued to rise, hitting 35,000 cases and more than 440 deaths. Worldwide, more than 350,000 people have been infected and 15,000 have died from the virus that first emerged in central China late last year. As cases in China ebbed, the dangers to Europe and the U.S. have grown exponentially

Here’s the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis in the U.S.:

Coronavirus Task Force Holds Briefing From White House

In a White House briefing Monday evening, President Donald Trump urged Americans to continue living cautiously during these uncertain times as coronavirus cases increase.

Trump spoke optimistically and said the federal government will reassess how to continue its response next week when guidelines established last week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expire.

“We’re not gonna let the cure be worse than the problem,” Trump said referring to how the government response to the pandemic should not be more damaging than the pandemic itself, particularly over the economy.

Trump also called for the protection of the Asian-American community and the Asian community worldwide.

The spreading of the virus “is not their fault,” Trump said. Trump previously called the coronavirus pandemic as the “Chinese virus.”

“America continues to mobilize every segment of our society,” Trump said. “We will get through this challenge. The hardship will end. It will end soon.”

Trump also said the federal Real ID requirement will be delayed. The original deadline was Oct. 1. Real IDs will be needed to get past TSA security at airports.

Attorney General William Barr was also at the briefing. He discussed the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat hoarding on an “industrial scale” to “manipulate the market.”

Special personnel have been appointed nationwide to bring to justice hoarders seeking to make a profit, Barr said, adding that ordinary Americans who have a lot of toilet paper need not worry.

More Than 13K Americans Remain Stranded Abroad

A senior State Department official says roughly 13,500 American citizens stranded abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic are seeking help in returning to the United States.

The official said Monday that thousands more Americans are expected to return on department arranged flights in the coming weeks, about 1,500 of whom are booked on flights over the next several days. The official said the repatriations are being done with a combination of military flights, chartered passenger planes and commercial airlines where airports are still open. The official said the Department of Homeland Security has also offered to bring Americans home on planes that it uses to return deportees to mainly Central American nations.

The official urges Americans abroad seeking help to enroll in the department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, at https://step.state.gov/ to get alerts from embassies. The department has also set up call lines for Americans needing assistance: 888-407-4747 (toll free) or (202) 501-4444.

Zillow Suspends Home Buying Over Coronavirus Outbreak

Zillow Group announced Monday it will postpone home buying in the 24 markets where it operates after several states and counties implemented emergency orders requiring residents to stay home in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Zillow stopped open houses for homes in all markets last week.

U.S. home sales jumped 6.5% in February, their highest level in 13 years. But that was for contracts that were signed in December and January, with closings in February. The first report of a coronavirus infection in the U.S. occurred on Jan. 21 and economists are expecting a vast slowdown in the next report with sellers closing their homes to potential buyers.

The commercial real estate market is at risk of collapse, cautions the founder of Colony Capital, as mortgage loans experience growing pressure. Thomas Barrack said in a blog post that liquidity has dried up as businesses get hit with a temporary cash flow deficit and a rapid decline in revenue. “The market for commercial real estate mortgage loans in the United States stands on the brink of collapse,” Barrack wrote.

Governors in Michigan, Indiana Issue Stay-at-Home Orders

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday told Michigan residents to stay at home, in her most sweeping order of the coronavirus crisis, warning that a million people could need hospital beds if they keep mixing with each other and spreading the illness.

“This disease can’t spread person to person if we’re not out there. … Too many people are still out and about unnecessarily, so we must do more,” Whitmer said.

The order, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, will prohibit employers from requiring workers to leave their homes unless necessary to protect life or conduct minimum basic operations. It also bars all gatherings of any number outside a single household.

Also on Monday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered the state’s 6.8 million residents to remain home for two weeks starting Wednesday.

Exceptions are allowed for workers in essential industries or to go outside for groceries and medicine. Holcomb order mirrors those in adjacent states and runs until April 6 but could be extended if needed. Holcomb said that the next two weeks “are critical if we are to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Michigan and Indiana’s stay-at-home policy comes after governors in California, New York, Illinois, Ohio and other states issued similar orders.

McConnell, Schumer Trade Barbs Over Stimulus Standoff

After another tense day on Capitol Hill, the Senate adjourned Monday night without passing a nearly $2 trillion stimulus plan meant to aid the United States during the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McMconnell blasted Democrats for holding up massive economic rescue plan over what he calls a “wish list” of “unrelated issues,” including tax credits for solar panels and reducing carbon emissions for the airlines.

“Democrats won’t let us fund hospitals or save small businesses unless they get to dust off the green New Deal,” said McConnell, R-Ky., on the Senate floor Monday.

Democrats derailed the largely Republican-led effort Sunday night, arguing it was tilted toward corporations and did too little to help workers and health care providers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer fired back at McConnell over the bill’s failure to put restraints on a proposed $500 billion “slush fund” for corporations.

“Every time we hear the Majority Leader come out, it’s a partisan screed,” Schumer said following McConnell’s remarks. “While I’m in my office with the president’s secretary of treasury, the president’s congressional liaison, getting things done.”

Both sides of the aisle said late Monday night they believe a stimulus bill will be passed on Tuesday.

Klobuchar Announces Husband Has COVID-19

Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Monday her husband has the coronavirus and is in the hospital. The former Democratic presidential hopeful wrote in a blog post her husband, John Blessler, initially thought he had a cold and self-isolated. Klobuchar said his condition worsened and Blessler went to the hospital to get tested after coughing up blood. She said he now has pneumonia and is on oxygen but not a ventilator.

“While this is his story and not mine, I wanted to let my colleagues and constituents know that since John and I have been in different places for the last two weeks and I am outside the 14-day period for getting sick, my doctor has advised me to not get a test,” Klobuchar wrote. “As everyone is aware, there are test shortages for people who need them everywhere and I don’t qualify to get one under any standard.”

She said not being able to be by his said is “one of the hardest things about this disease.”

Fed Says It Will Buy as Much Gov’t Debt as Needed to Aid Economy

The Federal Reserve announced Monday it will buy as much government debt as it deems necessary and will also begin lending to small and large businesses and local governments to help them weather the crisis.

The Fed’s decision lifts any dollar limits from its plans to support the flow of credit through an economy that has been ravaged by the viral outbreak. The central bank’s all-out effort has now gone beyond even the extraordinary drive it made to rescue the economy from the 2008 financial crisis.

“Our nation’s first priority is to care for those afflicted and to limit the further spread of the virus,” the Fed said in a statement. “While great uncertainty remains, it has become clear that our economy will face severe disruptions. Aggressive efforts must be taken across the public and private sectors to limit the losses to jobs and incomes and to promote a swift recovery once the disruptions abate.”

US Surgeon General on Outbreak: ‘It’s Going to Get Bad’

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned Monday that the coronavirus outbreak will continue to worsen because too many people are not abiding by guidance to stay at home and practice social distancing.

“I want America to understand this week, it’s going to get bad,” Adams said in an interview on the “TODAY” show.

Adams told “TODAY” co-host Savannah Gutherie that “we need to come together as a nation” to fight the coronavirus outbreak but “a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.”

Asked about growing pressure for President Donald Trump to use the Defense Production Act to force companies to ramp up production of critical supplies, Adams said it wasn’t necessary at this time because many have stepped up on their own and are producing at full capacity.

“You you don’t need to compel people to do what they are already doing,” he said.

World Health Organization Warns of Scammers

The World Health Organization reported over the weekend that there has been an increase in criminals disguising themselves as WHO workers in order to steal money or personal identity information from people.

The WHO said it’s only fundraising for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. “Any other appeal for funding or donations that appears to be from WHO is a scam,” the organization said. For more information on the scams, click here.

Rescue Package Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

The latest economic rescue package being negotiated in Washington is now nearly $2 trillion. But the Senate has yet to agree on the parameters of the package, voting against advancing the measure to a full vote. Talks wrapped up late at night on Capitol Hill with the goal a new vote on Monday.

Democrats say the draft package is insufficient in the face of economic havoc from the coronavirus, arguing that it is tilted toward corporations and does too little to help workers and health care providers. President Donald Trump weighed in earlier in the day, saying “it’s not very complicated” and that workers must be helped and companies saved.

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Neighbors are turning the Free Little Libraries across the country into free pantries for those who are struggling with financial hardship due to COVID-19.

Cathy of Port Monmouth, New Jersey, last week shared a photo of her local free library that has been filled with nonperishable food items such as oatmeal and mac and cheese. “Spread the word! Take what you need, give what you can!,” she wrote on the Twitter post.

Another pantry was spotted in Chicago, said Ashley Hamer, with a sign that says, “To help our neighbors affected by the COVID-19 crisis, this Little Free Library is converted to a Little Free Pantry. Take what you need and if you can, please donate what you can spare!”

Little Free Library is a nonprofit that promotes reading and community engagement, and it has more than 100,000 registered book-sharing boxes in 108 countries worldwide. You can click here to see where the libraries are located.

Aside from the trademarked library, there are other local book-sharing boxes as well as other local food pantries.

In New Jersey, the volunteers at Greater Somerset County YMCA have banded together to keep their local food pantry fully stocked.

Besides food, some have left essential items such as toilet paper, which has been out of stock for many stores across the country due to people stockpiling.

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In a blog post on Thursday, the executive director of Little Free Library says he fully supports what people are doing.

“If you want to add items of need to your library that you think would be helpful, that is completely up to you. We think helping one’s fellow person in this challenging time is great,” said Greig Metzger.

Metzger, who is a former executive director at the Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf, also suggested other ways people can help.

“Are there ways you can use your Little Free Library not only as a distribution point, but as a collection point? Food shelves everywhere are facing increased demand. You can find the food shelf nearest you by doing a Google search for “food shelf near me.” Perhaps use your Little Free Library to host a food drive to help that local food shelf,” he wrote.

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As more Americans adjust to working from home while coronavirus spreads across the nation, TODAY Style consulted style experts and psychologists to see how the clothes we wear influence our mood. They’re breaking down the pros and cons of each approach and sharing a few tips for working from home to help you navigate.

The argument to keep it cozy and casual

In general, most employers won’t care what you’re wearing when you work from home — as long as you get the work done. And besides, taking a few days to stay cozy can be good for your mental health, especially during these stressful times.

“We are all going through an unprecedented and stressful time in history,” said Rheeda Walker, a professor of psychology at the University of Houston and director of the school’s Culture, Risk and Resilience Lab. “If folks aren’t up for dressing for the cyber world as they would in the office, that is completely understandable. We can cut ourselves some slack if, mentally, we’re just not up for the pomp and circumstance.”

Getting dressed up for work normally helps us go through the motions and prepare for the day ahead, but establishing a new routine can sometimes free up more time and inspire productivity.

“On days when you do not need to interface visually with clients or coworkers, I think wearing your favorite sweats can feel incredibly relaxing and put you in the perfect serene mood to dive in and get a ton of work done with maybe a bit of extra time to meditate or do yoga somewhere in your day,” said Leesa Evans, a Hollywood costume designer and private stylist.

For many women, dressing down at home gives them more time and energy to complete other tasks. “It’s a time saver. Let’s face it: Most women spend at least an hour to get completely dressed. Sweats and leggings don’t even require ironing. So you can get an early start to your busy day,” said Mitali Saxena, CEO of fashion subscription service Fashom.

Like many of us, Amy Ankeles, 32, recently started working from home as coronavirus began to spread. The New York City resident has found some creative ways to look professional while also staying comfy. “My work from home style is lovingly referred to as a ‘work from home mullet’: It’s business on top and party on the bottom. And party to me equals ultimate comfort,” she told TODAY Style.

Ankeles puts on a top she’d regularly wear to the office, some earrings and very minimal makeup. To round out the look, she throws on some sweatpants and slippers on bottom. “This way, when I video conference with colleagues, I fully look like I’m dressed for the day. Little do they know I’m in half pajamas — except I tell everyone anyway,” she said.

The marketing professional is trying to keep a positive outlook and is embracing the work from home lifestyle so far. “I’m loving that I get to wear leggings or sweats and my slippers. And that I don’t have to spend time trying on different outfits every morning,” she said. “I’m nervous for when we go back to work, though, and I can no longer wear elastic waistbands.”

The argument to dress for success while working from home

Adjusting to working from home can be challenging, and some prefer to dress up to somewhat maintain their daily routine.

“It may have been something you took for granted before, but getting dressed for work is something that helps us so much on a daily basis,” Saxena said. “Besides being a way to express your individual sense of style, getting dressed for work sets the tone for your day.”

Since your normal routine is interrupted when you work from home, it can help you feel more at ease to wear something a bit closer to what you’d normally wear at the office.

“Keeping a routine helps us maintain a sense of control and degree of normality in times when we are feeling a lack of control, which leads to stress and even anxiety,” professor Carolyn Mair, author of “The Psychology of Fashion,” said. “What matters more than the actual garments we wear is that they help us feel good.”

If you’re working while kids and pets are in the house, getting decked out in full-on boardroom attire might not be the most practical option. But something like a blouse and dressy leggings can be a nice transitional outfit. “Dressing pulled together helps us feel pulled together. Research has found that people feel more competent when wearing business clothes,” psychologist Cathleen Swody said.

Since you don’t have to worry about dress codes while working from home, stylists say this is the perfect time to experiment with your look.

“You have more time to shop your own closet and test drive creative combos. Rediscover that vintage dress you used to love, or figure out how to finally make that blouse with the tags still on work as an outfit,” Kesha Linder, merchandiser at online thrift store thredUP, said. “A business-casual look will also keep you feeling productive while working from home. Pair your favorite jeans and T-shirt with a blazer or, if you’d like a simple yet put-together look, throw on your favorite jumpsuit.”

Naturally, we all love to feel comfortable, so opting for looks that combine fashion and function can help you get the best of both worlds. “Start by looking for the pieces in your closet that are professional yet made in a stretchy fabric. Stretch fabrics are so popular now so many of us have everything from stretch pants and skirts to knit sweaters, shirts and blazers,” Evans said.

Why you should dress for your mood

The great thing about fashion is that you can always switch up your look based on your mood. While working from home, you’ll likely have days where you just don’t feel like getting dressed up. And that’s totally OK!

“These are uncertain times and clothing can be a source of comfort, whether that means putting on your softest sweats and favorite cashmere sweater or your brand new slip dress that you haven’t had the chance to wear out of the house yet,” Linder said. “If I’m feeling down, I usually dress up to feel more put together. Tuning in to how you feel each morning can help you dress for success during this uncertain time.”

As with most things, figuring out your ideal work from home style is all about balance and the most important thing is to establish a regular routine.

“Try to change into work clothes the same time you would if you were headed to the office. And change out of your work clothes when you would return home from the office. These changes shift our mental states and draws a boundary between work and home,” Swody said. “A challenge in working from home is disengaging from work. Changing clothes will help you feel like you’re not always working.”

And don’t forget to have fun! “Try to switch up the looks so loungewear doesn’t become your everyday look. Make a game out of it for yourself. Moody Monday is loungewear day, wink at me Wednesday can be a super sassy look, and so on,” celebrity stylist Alison Brooks said.

Why you should choose colors to boost your mood

Have you ever noticed that we often dress in colors that reflect our mood? While it might sound trivial, using color to give yourself a boost can make a world of difference in how you feel.

“You might not want or need to dress up as much as you might in an office or seeing a client, however, your personal mood is affected by the colors around you,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute told TODAY.

When you need to get up and moving (physically or mentally), Eiseman suggests rocking warm tones like orange, red, yellow or reddish-purples. When it’s time to slow things down for the day, cooler tones can be super relaxing.

“Generally, hotter shades like orange, red, yellow or reddish-purples are connected to activity and are really good to get you moving and get your adrenaline pumping. The cooler shades, like blues or blue-greens, are more relaxing. You need to choose what works best for your needs at a given time.”

How to use color to boost your mood:

• Add color with accessories: “Tie a ribbon in your topknot or make a headband out of a bright ribbon. And add a bright necklace,” Brooks suggested.
• Mix neutrals and bold colors: If you feel best in your trusty jeans, wear some color in your T-shirt or top. If whatever you’re wearing is pretty colorless, throw a vibrant scarf around your shoulders or wear some colorful flip-flops or fuzzy slippers. Even the color of your socks — especially if you are not wearing shoes — can help lift a mood,” Eiseman said.
• Perk up your makeup look: “Red lips can brighten your face and outfit. Also, I suggest getting … a super cute outfit on and set up times with a few friends to FaceTime chat. Do this at least three times a week. Keep connected. Play and laugh and try new looks.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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Market benchmarks in Tokyo and South Korea rose nearly 7% while Shanghai, Hong Kong and Australian markets also gained.

Traders were encouraged by the Fed’s promise to buy as many Treasurys and other assets as needed to keep financial markets functioning.

That came as Wall Street fell 3% after Congress failed to approve an economic support package. It would send checks to U.S. households and offer support for small businesses and the hard-hit travel industry, but Democrats say it favors companies too heavily at the expense of workers and public health.

“Asian investors like what they see from an all-in Fed which is being viewed in a very impressive light for both Main and Wall Street even as the U.S. congress dithers,” said Stephen Innes of AxiCorp. in a report.

The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo rose 6.7% to 18,009.50 and Seoul’s Kospi gained 6.9% to 1,585.46. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.7% to 2,706.80.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was 3.8% higher at 22,513.69 and Australia’s S&P-ASX 200 gained 2.9% to 4,677.70.

The Fed’s promise goes beyond the $700 billion in purchases announced last week.

The central bank said it will buy a wide range of investments, including corporate bonds for the first time, to improve trading in markets that help home buyers purchase houses, state and local governments borrow and businesses to get enough short-term cash to make payroll.

“The pressure is now on Congress to get its act together and provide the support that the Fed cannot do — helping the vulnerable people who face the biggest health and economic consequences,” said James Knightley of ING in a report.

“The risk is that this wall of support from the Fed and the positive reaction in markets may give Congress a sense that it has more time and the pressure to deliver a package is reduced,” Knightley said.

As Congress was locked in stalemate, the number of known infections worldwide jumped past 380,000. After just a few weeks, the United States has more than 46,000 cases and more than 600 deaths.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. Those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems. Recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

Also Monday, trading on the New York Stock Exchange went all-electronic for the first time after the trading floor was temporarily closed as a precaution. The exchange announced the move last week after two employees tested positive for the virus. The number of floor traders had dwindled sharply in recent years as more trading become electronic.

Wall Street and some other stock markets have lost nearly one-third of their value over the past month as business shutdowns spread and airlines, retailers and other industries suffer rising losses.

Economists increasingly say a recession seems inevitable. Analysts are slashing their forecasts for upcoming corporate profits. Forecasters say they cannot project how deep the downturn might be or how long it will last.

Professional traders say investors need to see a decline in numbers of new infections before markets can find a bottom.

Congress debated through the weekend on the rescue plan, but White House officials and congressional leaders are struggling to finalize it. Democrats blocked a vote to advance the package Monday. They want to steer more of the assistance to public health and workers.

Even if the two sides find a compromise, Congress may need to go through more rounds of similar negotiations if the outbreak isn’t brought under control.

On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 index 2.9% to 2,237.40 in another day of sudden swings. It was down as much as 4.9% and as little as 0.2% earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3% to 18,591.93. The Nasdaq, which is dominated by technology companies, lost only 0.3% to 6,860.67 as tech shares held up better than the rest of the market.

In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude gained 73 cents to $23.36 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost $2.59 the previous session to close at $22.63. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 5 cents to $27.03 per barrel in London. It lost $1.49 the previous session to $26.98.

The dollar declined to 110.33 yen from Monday’s 111.23. The euro gained to $1.0795 from $1.0721.

Now, as the coronavirus crisis threatens his presidency, and upends his campaign for reelection, Trump is rapidly losing patience with the medical professionals who have made the case day after day that the only way to prevent a catastrophic loss of life is to essentially shut down the country — to minimize transmission and “flatten the curve” so hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with critical patients.

The president also has been furious that his efforts to halt the harrowing drop in the stock market have so far proven ineffective. He has been calling friends and economists at all hours and berated aides and reporters who try to persuade him to recognize the severity of the outbreak.

Beyond the crisis, he has been agitated that he can’t run the campaign he wants against Democrat Joe Biden, and he has used daily, hour-long briefings as near proxies for his campaign rallies, guaranteed to attract attention and to maintain the backing of his fervent political case.

This account is based on interviews with a dozen White House aides, former administration officials and Republicans close to the White House granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.

In a sign of his growing restiveness, Trump tweeted just before midnight:

“WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!”

He followed up early Monday with a series of retweets that seemed to endorse re-opening American society upon the conclusion of the initial 15-day restrictions, meant to slow the spread of the virus, on March 30.

It reflected the view from a growing number senior of administration officials who believe the closing of the economy was too harsh but that re-opening it would directly contradict the advice of health experts, a bipartisan group of governors and mayors and potentially set up a confrontation with his own medical advisers, including top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Trump tried to minimize the threat of the virus from the outset and in recent days has vacillated between acknowledging the crisis and suggesting that it would all soon be over.

With his Mar-a-Lago club shuttered and his frequent trips to the golf course now off limits, Trump has been largely stuck in the White House. Even in good times, other presidents have likened life in the White House to being like prison.

For Trump, that feeling is magnified by walling himself off during the crisis. Unable to travel and unsure of what to do, he’s been crashing West Wing meetings, often forcing staffers to hurriedly adjust agendas as the president frequently gets in the way of health professionals trying to chart a course of action.

While some around him have suggested that he should only appear when there is big news to announce, Trump has been missing the spotlight and has told people that he knows the nation is watching the briefings and doesn’t want to give up the stage.

On Sunday, he asked the briefing, originally slated for 4:30 p.m. to be pushed back later into the evening, when more people would be watching — including those tuning in for “60 Minutes,” the president’s favorite broadcast news magazine.

Trump has rebuked reporters whose questions he does not like, and behind closed doors, it has been much the same. The president has snapped at aides delivering news that contradicts his relentless belief the crisis will be resolved soon.

Upon his return from a trip to India last month, Trump lit into aides about Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who had provided a dire warning about the virus’ potential impact. He chided Vice President Mike Pence in a West Wing meeting for defending Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a one-time Democratic presidential contender, for his handling of the crisis. And he angrily upbraided medical providers who called on his administration to do more, saying they should be upset instead with their local leadership.

And he has railed against journalists for investigating his sluggish response, driven, in part, by a desire to discredit the media at a time when he knows the headlines are only going to get worse.

“I watch and listen to the Fake News, CNN, MSDNC, ABC, NBC, CBS, some of FOX (desperately & foolishly pleading to be politically correct), the @nytimes, & the @washingtonpost, and all I see is hatred of me at any cost,” he tweeted over the weekend. “Don’t they understand that they are destroying themselves?”

That line has been picked up by others in the administration who also made clear that they don’t see value in reporters digging into how the administration prepared for the looming crisis.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate right now for the press to be going backwards,” echoed White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. “There’s no reason to go backwards and figure out tick-tocks of what happened when. We’ve got a crisis on our hands, we’ve got a coronavirus in this country, and the press should — they’ve got a real opportunity…to also spread great information to this public and give information that our task force is trying to get out there.”

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Mere weeks ago, Trump and his reelection campaign had planned to use his massive financial advantage to try to define his opponent to the public in the race’s early months, much like former President Barack Obama did to Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.

Trump had planned to frame the race as a contest between a decisive president who had ushered in an economic golden age, versus either an avowed socialist like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or a creature of the Washington establishment, Biden, who was struggling to raise money and enthusiasm.

But instead of facing a wounded Democrat at the end of a drawn-out nomination fight, an emboldened Biden has emerged as his party’s clear front-runner, having coalesced much of the party around him while addressing his cash shortage. And now Trump is staring at a recession, a potentially lethal political blow for any incumbent, but particularly one who has so tethered his fortunes to the stock market and a once buoyant economy.

Unable to hold his rallies, Trump has lost his favorite outlet and deprived his campaign of compiling valuable voter data. And while his campaign’s war chest remains robust, any sort of TV ad campaign has been sidelined, though anti-Biden digital spots are still being produced and aides have expressed surprise and relief that the former vice president has largely ceded Trump the spotlight the last two weeks.

With no chance of any trips anytime soon aboard Air Force One, where Trump often spends his time talking out campaign strategy and socializing with old friends and allies, he’s unleashed his anger on Twitter — including at Democratic governors who dare criticize him — and has been on the phone constantly, peppering people with calls.

In recent days, the president tried to reach one economist late at night but the person slept through multiple calls.

So Trump just kept calling. Eventually, the economist woke up.

__ Lemire reported from New York

Craig Reedie, a longtime member of the International Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press that everyone can see where things are headed, with the coronavirus pandemic spreading and Olympic hopefuls around the world unable to train.

“In the balance of probabilities, the information known about conditions in Japan and the COVID-19’s effect on the rest of world clearly indicates the likelihood of postponement,” Reedie said. “The length of postponement is the major challenge for the IOC.”

Earlier in the day, IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that he had reached the same conclusion about the games, which are scheduled to start July 24. A tweet put out by the newspaper read: “The 2020 Summer Olympics Have Been Postponed Over Coronavirus Concerns.”

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The IOC said no decision had been made, and Reedie was quick to acknowledge that he was speaking only for himself and not because of any insight provided to him by IOC president Thomas Bach, who will guide the final decision. Pound did not return a message left by AP. Earlier in the day, after Pound’s pronouncement, an IOC spokesman said, “It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC (executive board) from Sunday.”

Indeed, the interpretations and opinions are just that and haven’t always been spot-on. Last month, Pound told AP that cancellation, not postponement, was the only real option if the Tokyo Games couldn’t start on time.

But a lot has changed since then, and the rapid momentum of the “postpone” movement among athletes and nations seemed to diminish the likelihood that it will take all of four weeks for the IOC to reach a conclusion. That was the timeline the IOC’s executive committee decided on Sunday when it announced it was putting together working groups to study the massive logistical issues involved in postponing the games.

Among those issues include the availability of venues in Japan, the disruption to the international sports calendar during whatever new date is chosen, the resetting of qualifying procedures, and insurance considerations; both the IOC and the Japanese organizing committee hold massive policies, the legalese of which will take time to unwind.

After that IOC announcement, however, both Canada and Australia — whose senior Olympic official is IOC member John Coates, the leader of the Tokyo inspection team — sent word that they would not or could not send teams to Japan for an Olympics that start in July.

“I know this is heartbreaking for so many people — athletes, coaches, staff and fans — but this was absolutely the right call, and everyone should follow their lead,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Other key delegations that have pushed for a postponement include World Athletics, the international federation for the centerpiece sport of the Olympics, along with Olympic committees in Brazil, Slovenia and Germany. USA Swimming and USA Track and Field, which combine to form about a third of the U.S. team, also want a new date.

Nearly seven in 10 U.S. Olympic hopefuls say they don’t think the Tokyo Games will be fair if they are held in July, prompting leaders of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to conclude “it’s more clear than ever that the path toward postponement is the most promising.”

Athletes also grew louder in their request for postponement. A track group called The Athletics Association joined another athlete group, Global Athlete, in pressing the IOC to act.

The track group is led by two-time Olympic champion Christian Taylor of the U.S., who said more than 4,000 track and field athletes responded to a survey, and 87% said their training had been adversely affected by the coronavirus.

Individual athletes continued to speak out as well.

“Although I am upset that the Olympics will not be happening this year, I agree that this is the best decision in order to keep the athletes and spectators healthy and to prevent the virus from spreading further,” U.S. gymnast Morgan Hurd said in a tweet, reacting to Pound’s comments.

And while saying it’s a done deal might be jumping the gun, it feels inevitable the announcement will come.

A spokesperson for NBC Sports, which is scheduled to air the Tokyo Olympics, said in a statement Monday: “These are extraordinary and unprecedented times, and we fully support the IOCs decision to step up its scenario-planning for the Tokyo Olympics. We are prepared to stand behind any decision made by the IOC, the Japanese government, and the world health officials with whom they are working regarding the Tokyo Olympics.”

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That’s all it takes to create the perfect bangs during a coronavirus self-quarantine, according to do-it-yourself hair trimming videos circulating on social networks. Some social media users are passing their time cutting their hair and sharing pics of their new tresses, coining them #pandemicbangs.

One Mississippi State University freshman is still living in her dorm, taking online classes and hasn’t seen anyone recently because of the virus.

“With spare time comes a lot of bad decisions but this one was a good one for me,” said 19-year-old Gabriella Ybarra. “So I cut my hair.”

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Ybarra said she has been bored for the most part, and rationalized trying a home haircut made sense because if she messed it up, no one would see her for a while.

After recently watching TikTok videos of DIY hair dying, and since she didn’t have hair dye and she did have scissors, she figured she’d try cutting bangs for the first time ever.

Ybarra is not in contact with many people on campus but plans on staying until “they kick me out.”

“I’m very lucky. My university is handling it a lot better than other schools have been. I’m glad they are letting us stay on campus because some of us don’t have the ability to leave,” the east Houston native said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many communities requiring shelter-in-place and Americans are encouraged to practice social distancing, many beauty salons and barber shops have had to temporary close their doors, disrupting personal grooming habits.

Some hairdressers and salons are joining the conversation on social media suggesting that clients do not cut their hair. South Main Street Salon in Evart, Michigan posted to Facebook:

“We understand that 3 weeks without that magical feeling of getting your hair done will be torture… we WILL SURVIVE the bad hair pandemic of 2020!… And you shouldn’t, under any circumstances get the crazy idea that you need bangs!!!”

But Beth Scherr, with a scissor in hand and peering through freshly cut bangs, was all for it. She posted to Instagram: “#pandemicbangs baby! Why the hell not?! Who’s with me?”

Visit the TODAY.com Hair section for grooming tips. Check out what other social media have to say regarding the DIY coronavirus hair discussion.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said in a statement said that abortion providers were among the licensed health care professionals and facilities that would have to cease procedures deemed “not immediately medically necessary” following an executive order issued Saturday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to $1,000 or 180 days in jail.

On Saturday, Ohio Attorney General David Yost sent a letter ordering two of the state’s clinics to stop surgical abortions immediately to preserve personal protective equipment.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

As well as instructing the public to “stay at home” for all but a few exceptions, Johnson said he was ordering shops that don’t sell essential goods, such as food and medicines, to close immediately.

In as somber an address to the nation as any prime minister has arguably delivered since World War II, Johnson said it was critical to prevent the virus from spreading between households and that police would be authorized to break up gatherings of more than two people from different households in public in order to deal with the “biggest threat this country has faced for decades.”

“I must give the British people a very simple instruction,” the prime minister said while seated behind a desk. “You must stay at home.”

The measures announced mark a departure from the British government’s until-now more relaxed approach to the worldwide pandemic, which has stood in contrast to the lockdowns put in place elsewhere in Europe, notably in Italy, France and Spain. Though Britain has already closed schools, bars and restaurants and urged people to stay home, the advice for people to keep their distance have either been ignored or not understood fully enough — concerns over the strategy were stoked over the past weekend when many of the country’s open spaces were packed out in the sunny weather.

Under the measures which Johnson did not term as a lockdown, people will only be allowed to leave home for a few “very limited purposes” to relieve the pressure on the National Health Service, Johnson said.

These include shopping for basic necessities “as infrequently as possible,” one form of exercise a day done alone or with household members, medical reasons or traveling to work that cannot be done from home or that is “absolutely necessary.”

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“That’s all — these are the only reasons you should leave your home,” Johnson said. “To ensure compliance with the government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises, including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship.”

Social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, will also be stopped. Funerals are exempt. Parks will also remain open for exercise, but any gatherings will be broken up.

Johnson said the police will have the power to enforce the new requirements, including through fines and dispersing gatherings, and that these emergency measures will be in place for at least three weeks, subject to constant review.

Johnson has come under mounting pressure to introduce tougher measures in response after many people were seen out in public over the weekend not properly observing the government’s social distancing recommendations of staying at least two meters apart.

Officials at Snowdonia National Park in Wales, for example, introduced its own restrictions and urged the government to be more explicit with its social distancing advice after its “busiest visitor weekend in living memory.” And responding to the visibly high use of parks and the London Underground during the outbreak, London Mayor Sadiq Khan implored people to stay at home unless they “absolutely need to” move about the city.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock had earlier expressed frustration at the failure of many to abide by the government’s restrictions, describing those who gathered in groups up and down the land as “very selfish.”

The U.K. had the 10th-highest number of virus cases in the world, 5,903, and the sixth-highest number of virus-related deaths as of Monday, according to tallies from Johns Hopkins University. British government figures showed that 54 more people with the virus had died since Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 335.

New infections are seemingly increasing at an exponential rate, raising concern that the country will be on a trajectory like Italy’s in a week or two if containment efforts are not successful.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. But for some older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Over 100,000 people have recovered, mostly in China.

“The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost,” Johnson said. “And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through .… And therefore, I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.”

The nation’s top infectious disease expert told Science magazine in an interview that Trump listens “even though we disagree on some things.”

“He goes his own way. He has his own style,” Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in the telephone interview with the magazine Sunday. “But on substantive issues, he does listen to what I say.”

Trump complained at a recent briefing that China should have told the world about the virus much earlier. The new coronavirus originated in China. Fauci said he told the “appropriate people” after Trump made the comment that “it doesn’t comport, because two or three months earlier would have been September.” The coronavirus emerged in central China in December.

Fauci said Trump’s aides may caution him against repeating the statement but if the president chooses to say it again, “I can’t jump in front of the microphone and push him down.”

Trump and Fauci sparred politely but publicly last week over whether a malaria drug would work to treat people with the coronavirus disease.

Asked about being present when things are said that he disagrees with, Fauci said: “I don’t disagree in the substance. It is expressed in a way that I would not express it, because it could lead to some misunderstanding about what the facts are about a given subject.”

“I like Dr. Fauci a lot,” Trump said when the questioning turned to Fauci’s absence from Monday’s briefing.

On Friday, the doctor put a hand over his face when Trump injected a conspiracy theory into the proceeding by referring to the State Department as the “Deep State Department.”

Fauci’s brief hand movement and facial expression became an internet meme.

Asked if he’d been criticized for it, Fauci said, “No comment.”

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

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According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Fire Chief Gregory Dean said the assistant chief was tested after he didn’t feel well over the weekend. He is under quarantine for the next 14 days.

“He is in good spirits and is doing well,” Dean said in a letter to his department.

Dean urged firefighters not to come to work if they feel sick.

Seven other firefighters have contracted the virus in recent days.

On Sunday, health officials notified the fire department that three more firefighters had tested positive.

Two firefighters were home and their conditions were improving, the department previously said.

“If you were in contact with the infected members but have not been notified, you should contact our Infection Control Group to report your exposure or any suspected exposures,” Dean said in a previous letter to the department. “We ask that you continue to take this pandemic seriously.”

As of Sunday night, there were 118 firefighters under self-quarantine.

D.C. Fire and EMS said Saturday the fourth firefighter to test positive worked in the same station as one of the three previously confirmed cases.

“Just one first responder being impacted has a ripple effect,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Thursday.

The first two members of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department to test positive for COVID-19 are partners, sources said.

“Any patients that they interacted with on those several days they were working have been contacted,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday on “The Today Show.” 

The first firefighter who tested positive may have worked two shifts while showing symptoms, sources said. Firefighters from both shifts are self-quarantined.

It’s unclear if the firefighter caught the virus on the job or away from work. It’s also unclear when he reported the virus to the fire department. 

Every member is being checked for “signs and symptoms of illness” when they arrive to work, and their temperatures are being taken before they are allowed into quarters, Chief Gregory Dean said. 

Sixty-five inmates who were ordered to quarantine have now been released from quarantine.

Two cellmates were quarantined at the D.C. jail. One was tested because of international travel. Those results came back negative.

So, if you need cash right now, check with your landlord or your mortgage lender.  Many of them are offering to allow you to defer monthly payments, which can put cash in your pocket right now.

If your employer has a credit union, look to them first if you need a loan, Dean Henderson of Financial Independence Mortgage said.

“Credit unions are going to be the least expensive way to go–some sort of a line of credit,” Henderson said. “Obviously, if you have a mortgage you can get a home equity line of credit, but talk to the credit unions and see if they have options for you to start with.”

If you’re a homeowner, an equity line of credit may make sense, but Henderson says be careful refinancing, as interest rates are reacting to the chaos of the stock market.

“Rates have gone up every day for two weeks, so rates are pretty high right now for mortgages,” Henderson said. “They are not what they were two weeks ago. It may just be a couple of weeks. It may be a month. But we are not in that sweet spot right now where it is a good idea to refi.”

Henderson says stay away from pay day loans period.

While the proximity of these lending institutions are close to home, that’s where their convenience ends, and if you can’t pay back a payday loan in seven days, you could be on the hook for triple-digit interest.

“It’s very expensive,” Henderson said. “What happens is a lot of people will get them and when it comes time to pay it off, they are constantly paying one off and taking another one out. And then they get stuck in the cycle and they never get out of it.”

If you need a loan, you can always compare rates online and at traditional banks.

The interest is often lower than that of your credit card. On the topic of credit cards, if you are making payments on one, now is the time to look for a new card with zero percent interest for at least a year that you can transfer other card balances to. Until state and federal unemployment benefits kick in, every little bit you can save on monthly bills is cash in your pocket.

Henderson also says if you have a 401k account, that’s a great source to borrow from because you are borrowing from yourself. The only person you owe is you, and you have time to pay back that loan. That’s just one more way to get money if you need it right now.

On March 11, the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic. The respiratory virus that originated in China has infected hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, and killed thousands. 

Since the WHO’s classification, the United States and other countries have taken drastic steps to attempt to slow the spread of the virus. From sheltering in place to travel restrictions to full border closures, the global pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of daily life. 

News and information about the disease are constantly evolving, and most of us may not necessarily be familiar with some of the medical or technical terms often mentioned. Below, we’ve defined some common words and phrases as they relate to coronavirus. 

Asymptomatic — Asymptomatic means showing no evidence of disease. 

CDC — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a federal agency that serves as the leading national public health institute of the United States. 

Communicable — Communicable means “capable of being easily communicated (spread) or transmitted.” COVID-19 is a communicable disease.

Community spread — Community spread means some people have been infected and it is not known how or where they became exposed. 

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Coronavirus — Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

COVID-19 — COVID-19 is the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. It is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans.

Epidemic — An epidemic refers to an often sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area.

Epidemiology — Epidemiology is the branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.

Flatten the curve — With protective measures, health officials believe we’ll see a lower number of COVID-19 cases. Without protective measures, health officials say we’ll see a sharp spike in the number of cases, which would inevitably overwhelm the healthcare system. See the graph referenced here.

Immunity — Immunity is protection from an infectious disease. If you are immune to a disease, you can be exposed to it without becoming infected. Humans don’t currently have immunity to COVID-19.

Immunocompromised — Immunocompromised persons have an impaired or weakened immune system.

Incubation period — Incubation period is the period between infection and the appearance of the first symptoms. Currently, the CDC says the incubation period for the novel coronavirus is somewhere between 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Isolation — Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Isolation can take place at home or at a hospital or care facility. In addition to serving as medical functions, isolation and quarantine also are “police power” functions, derived from the right of the state to take action affecting individuals for the benefit of society.

Pandemic — The World Health Organization defines a pandemic as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.” The CDC expands on that definition: “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people,” the CDC website states.

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Panic buying — Panic buying has been rife amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus, with consumers around the world stockpiling goods like hand sanitizer, canned foods and toilet paper, resulting in empty shelves, and both supply and demand shocks. “People see photos of empty shelves and regardless of whether it’s rational it sends a signal to them that it’s the thing to do,” said Sander van der Linden, an assistant professor of social psychology at Cambridge University.

Safer at home — On Thursday, March 19, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti  issued a “Safer at Home” emergency order, calling on the city’s residents to stay in their residences and limit all activities outside of their homes beyond what is absolutely necessary for essential tasks. As outlined in the order, LA residents are ordered to remain in their homes — with lawful exceptions made for critical tasks such as securing food and health, safety and medical necessities, as well as caring for children, elder adults, family, friends and people with disabilities. 

Shelter in place — In general, shelter in place is an order to stay in a safe place indoors due to an emergency (e.g., extreme weather, chemical hazard) until given permission by authorities to evacuate. The CDC says where you should stay can be different for different types of emergencies. Sheltering in place means you must stay at home and can only leave your home for “essential activities” to work for an “essential business” or for “essential travel.”

Self-quarantine —  Self-quarantine is when someone isn’t ordered to go into quarantine but chooses to do so out of caution. Officials are asking individuals who believe they are well to self-quarantine if they have recently returned from traveling to a part of the country or the world where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, or if they have knowingly been exposed to an infected person. The typical self-quarantine time period lasts 14 days. Once two weeks pass, if the patient does not have any symptoms, they are instructed to reach out to their doctor for instructions on how to return to their regular routine.

Self-isolation — Self-isolation is voluntary isolation. Everyday people may use this phrase when they aren’t infected and are simply social distancing.

Social Distancing — Social Distancing is the practice of reducing close contact between people to slow the spread of infections or diseases. Social Distancing measures include limiting large groups of people coming together, closing buildings and canceling events.

Examples of social distancing that allow you to avoid larger crowds or crowded spaces are:

• Working from home instead of at the office
• Closing schools or switching to online classes/learning 
• Virtually family and friends by using electronic devices instead of in person
• Canceling or postponing conferences, large meetings, etc.

Stay at home — On Thursday, March 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order for all residents to “stay at home” amid a coronavirus outbreak. The stay home order is in place until further notice. Essential services, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, takeout and delivery restaurants, and banks, are permitted to stay open. Californians in 16 critical sectors are to continue working despite the order. Those include emergency services, energy and food and agriculture.

Symptom — A physical or mental feature which is regarded as indicating a condition of disease, particularly such a feature that is apparent to the patient.

Virus — An infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host.

World Health Organization — The WHO is the United Nations’ health agency. The United States is a member.

Zoonotic — Animals can sometimes carry harmful germs that can spread to people and cause illness. COVID-19 is a zoonotic virus.

The above definitions have been derived from the following: the CDC, dictionary.com, John Hopkins Medicine and the WHO.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said they had spoken by phone with President Donald Trump during the long night of negotiations. While the two sides have resolved many issues in the sweeping package, some remain.

At midnight Monday, they emerged separately to say talks would continue into the night.

“We look forward to having a deal tomorrow,” Mnuchin told reporters after exiting Schumer’s office.

“The president is giving us direction, we’re working at his direction, and the president would like to have a deal,” Mnuchin said. “He’s hopeful we can conclude this.”

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Moments later, Schumer agreed that a deal was almost within reach. “That’s the expectation — that we finish it tomorrow and hopefully vote on it tomorrow evening,” he said.

The long evening of shuttle negotiations came after a long day trying to close the sweeping aid package amid the growing crisis. Mnuchin said talks were expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Tensions flared Monday as Washington strained to respond to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, with Congress arguing over a nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package and an impatient Trump musing openly about letting the 15-day shutdown expire next Monday, March 30.

As the U.S. braces for an onslaught of sick Americans, and millions are forced indoors to avert a spike that risks overwhelming hospitals, the most ambitious federal intervention in modern times is testing whether Washington can act swiftly to deal with the pandemic on the home front. By evening, there were no further votes set for Monday, as talks pushed into the night.

“It’s time to get with the program, time to pass historic relief,” said an angry Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier in the day as he opened the chamber after a nonstop weekend session that failed to produce a deal. “This is a national emergency.”

Fuming, McConnell warned Democrats — pointedly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — to quit stalling on “political games,” as he described Democratic efforts to steer more of the aid toward public health and workers.

Trump, who has largely been hands off from the negotiations, weighed in late Monday from the White House briefing room, declaring that Congress should vote “for the Senate bill as written,” dismissing any Democratic proposal.

“It must go quickly,” Trump said. “This is not the time for political agendas.”

The president also sounded a note of frustration about the unprecedented modern-day effort to halt the virus’s march by essentially shutting down public activities in ways that now threaten the U.S. economy.

Even though Trump’s administration recommended Americans curtail activities starting a week ago, the president said: “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go.”

“Let’s go to work,” he said. “This country was not built to be shut down. This is not a county that was built for this.”

Trump said that he may soon allow parts of the nation’s economy, in regions less badly hit by the virus, to begin reopening, contradicting the advice of medical and public health experts across the country, if not the globe, to hunker down even more firmly.

Pelosi assailed Trump’s idea and fluctuating response to the crisis.

“He’s a notion-monger, just tossing out things that have no relationship to a well-coordinated, science-based, government-wide response to this,” Pelosi said on a health-care conference call. “Thank God for the governors who are taking the lead in their state. Thank God for some of the people in the administration who speak truth to power.”

The White House team led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin worked on Capitol Hill for a fourth straight day of talks as negotiators narrowed on a bipartisan accord.

In the nearly empty building, the virus continued to strike close. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who announced he tested positive for coronavirus, is now among five senators under self-quarantine. Several other lawmakers have cycled in and out of isolation. And the husband of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is in a hospital with pneumonia after testing positive, she said Monday.

First lady Melania Trump, meanwhile, has tested negative for the coronavirus, Trump said.

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With a wary population watching and waiting, Washington labored under the size and scope of a rescue package — larger than the 2008 bank bailout and 2009 recovery act combined.

Democrats are holding out as they argue the package is tilted toward corporations and should do more to help suddenly jobless workers and health care providers with dire needs.

In particular, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants constraints on the largely Republican-led effort to provide $500 billion for corporations. Democrats call that a “slush fund.”

Yet, he said, “We’re very close to reaching a deal.” Even so, another attempt to move the package forward snagged, blocked as Democrats refused to quit negotiating.

Democrats won one concession — to provide four months of expanded unemployment benefits, rather than just three as proposed, according to an official granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The jobless pay also would extend to self-employed and so-called gig workers.

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But Republicans complained Democrats were holding out for more labor protections for workers, wanting assurances that corporations taking federal aid will commit to retaining their employees.

Pelosi came out with the House Democrats’ own sweeping $2.5 trillion bill, which would provide $1,500 directly to the public and $200 billion to the states, as governors are pleading for aid. She urged Senate negotiators “to move closer to the values” in it.

Trump has balked at using his authority under the recently invoked Defense Protection Act to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies like masks and ventilators, even as he encourages them to spur production. “We are a country not based on nationalizing our business,” said Trump, who has repeatedly railed against socialism overseas and among Democrats.

From his home, Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden criticized Trump for stopping short of using the full force of emergency federal authority.

“Trump keeps saying he’s a wartime president,” Biden said in an online address. “Well, start acting like one.”

On the economic front, the Federal Reserve announced Monday it will lend to small and large businesses and local governments as well as extend its bond-buying programs as part of a series of sweeping steps to support the flow of credit through an economy ravaged by the viral outbreak.

Central to the emerging rescue package is as much as $350 billion for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home. The package also proposes a one-time rebate of about $1,200 per person, or $3,000 for a family of four, as well as extended unemployment benefits.

Hospitals would get about $110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients, said Mnuchin. But Democrats are pushing for more health-care dollars for the front-line hospitals and workers.

The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket and financial markets are eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the health-care crisis and what experts say is a looming recession.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Bev Banks contributed. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Colleen Long, Hope Yen, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.

On Thursday, the school system said an employee at Waxpool Elementary School had the virus.

LCPS Superintendent Eric Williams said in a statement Saturday that Waxpool Elementary School Principal Michael Pellegrino also tested positive for COVID-19.

Pellegrino had not yet experienced symptoms and was quarantined at home, Williams said.

A third Waxpool Elementary staff member tested positive and was receiving medical care, the school system said on Monday.

According to a previous statement, several other members of the Waxpool Elementary School community were symptomatic and had test results pending with the county health department.

A staff member who is associated with Liberty Elementary School and Pinebrook Elementary School also tested positive and is receiving medical care, Williams said Saturday.

On Monday, a Moorefield Station Elementary School staff member tested positive and was recovering at home, LCPS said.

Health officials are working on calling anyone who had contact with the employees.

There were 15 cases in Loudoun County and 254 total cases in Virginia as of Monday night.

Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for updates.

Warning that the outbreak is accelerating, the head of the World Health Organization called on countries to take strong, coordinated action.

“We are not helpless bystanders,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, noting that it took 67 days to reach 100,000 cases worldwide but just four days to go from 200,000 to 300,000. “We can change the trajectory of this pandemic.”

Partisan divisions stalled efforts to pass a colossal aid package in U.S. Congress, and stocks fell again on Wall Street even after the Federal Reserve said it will lend to small and large businesses and local governments to help them through the crisis.

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Britain became the latest European country to order a near lockdown, imposing its most draconian peacetime restrictions.

The scramble to marshal public health and political resources intensified in New York, where a statewide lockdown took effect amid worries the city of 8.4 million is becoming one of the world’s biggest hot spots. More than 12,000 people have tested positive in the city and almost 100 have died.

The governor announced plans to convert a mammoth New York City convention center into a hospital with 1,000 beds. The mayor warned that the city’s hospitals are just 10 days away from shortages in basic supplies.

“This is going to get much worse before it gets better. We are still in the relative calm before the storm,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

In Italy, the hardest-hit country, declines in both new cases and deaths for a second consecutive day provided a faint glimmer of hope, though it is too soon to say whether the crisis is leveling off.

Italian officials said Monday that the virus had claimed just over 600 more lives, down from 793 two days earlier. All told, the outbreak has killed more than 6,000 Italians, the highest death toll of any country, and pushed the health system to the breaking point there and in Spain.

The risk to doctors, nurses and others on the front lines has become plain: Italy has seen at least 18 doctors with coronavirus die. Spain reported that more than 3,900 health care workers have become infected, accounting for roughly 12% of the country’s total cases.

British health workers pleaded for more gear, saying they felt like “cannon fodder.” In France, doctors scrounged masks from construction workers, factory floors, an architect.

“There’s a wild race to get surgical masks,” François Blanchecott, a biologist on the front lines of testing, told France Inter radio. “We’re asking mayors’ offices, industries, any enterprises that might have a store of masks.”

The way U.S. officials respond to the severe pressure on hospitals — and people’s willingness to keep their distance from others — will prove critical in coming days, public health experts said.

“Actions taken right now will have a huge impact on the course of this epidemic in the U.S.,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. “It’s an important moment.”

President Donald Trump told reporters he believes the U.S. economy, which has been virtually shut down, could be reopened in weeks, not months. Trump wouldn’t say when businesses would be up and running but that he wasn’t “looking at months, I can tell you right now. We’re going to be opening up the country.”

Amid complaints of hospitals running low on masks, gloves and other critical gear, Trump signed an executive order making it a crime to stockpile supplies needed by medical workers. Attorney General William Barr said investigators will go after those hoarding goods on “an industrial scale” and price gouging.

“If you are sitting on a warehouse with surgical masks, you will be hearing a knock on your door,” Barr told reporters.

China is now sending planeloads of protective gear and doctors to Europe as the crisis kept easing in the country where the virus first emerged late last year. Additionally, Chinese officials announced Tuesday that lockdowns in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, will end April 8.

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“The U.S. is completely wasting the precious time that China has won for the world,” said Geng Shuang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, promised that medical supplies are about to start pouring in and will be “clearly directed to those hot spots that need it most.”

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized Trump for not using the full force of federal authority to combat the virus.

“Trump keeps saying he’s a wartime president,” Biden said in an online address. “Well, start acting like one.”

On Capitol Hill, a nearly $2 trillion plan that would prop up businesses and send checks to American households has stalled. Democrats argued it was tilted toward corporations rather than workers and health care providers.

Meanwhile, industries big and small continued to shut down. Boeing announced it was suspending production in the Seattle area, where it has two mammoth aircraft plants employing about 42,000 people.

More than 375,000 people worldwide have been infected and over 16,000 have died from the virus, according to a running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.5 billion people around the globe have been instructed to stay in their homes.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson added to those orders Monday and directed shops that don’t sell essential goods to shut down. He warned that police would be authorized to break up public gatherings of more than two people. Johnson faced pressure for tougher measures because many have ignored advice on social distancing.

After just a few weeks, the U.S. has more than 43,000 cases and more than 500 deaths. Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia joined states including California, Illinois and New York in asking or ordering residents to stay home and keep businesses closed — directives that cover more than one-third of the U.S. population in a patchwork of rules imposed by governors or cities.

Former Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein tested positive at the prison in New York where he is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault, the head of the guards union said.

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For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing. But for some older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Over 100,000 people have recovered, mostly in China.

Authorities kept up their push to get people to stay home, but some were not listening. Social media showed snapshots of packed London Underground trains.

In New York, Cuomo fumed over gatherings of young people in violation of his order that everyone stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart, saying, “It’s reckless and it’s violative of your civic spirit and duty as a citizen, as far as I’m concerned.”

In a city where many people live in buildings with small elevators, a 21-story high-rise in the Chelsea neighborhood posted a notice in the lobby warning that there should be just one person per elevator, and those going to the laundry room shouldn’t use a washing machine next to another one in use.

“People are really only going to get food and going back. That’s what we need,” said Matt Comet, making a brief dash into the nearly empty streets of his Manhattan neighborhood to pick up a carryout meal.

“I’m OK to have a book and watch TV for a bit, but if it continues for another month, another two months, it’ll be pretty crazy,” he said.

India took the extraordinary step of shutting down the nation’s vast rail system, the lifeblood of the country of 1.3 billion people.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged that postponing this year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo could be unavoidable. The International Olympic Committee said it will examine the situation over the next few weeks.

Nepal has ordered a weeklong lockdown, while Myanmar reported its first two cases of the virus.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire in conflicts around the world to tackle the pandemic.

“It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives,” he said.

Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.

The site is located in the parking lot of Trinity Washington University in Northeast D.C. and went from idea to reality in just under a week. 

“As far as we know it’s the first one that’s out there, and we’re really excited to provide this for our kids, for our community,” Dr. Kurt Newman, president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, said in a statement.

Parents can drive up with their kids in the car and medical professionals will swab them and send the swabs to a private lab. The testing site will be able to test between 80 and 100 kids a day. The results should be back in three to five days.

“Mainly because the pediatricians in the community said ‘You know what, we don’t want to be sending kids down to the hospital if they don’t really need to go there — but we need to get them tested,'” Newman said about the reason for the site.

Children and young adults through age 22 are eligible for the testing site but must have symptoms and a doctor’s referral to be tested. The results will be sent directly to the pediatrician who ordered the test.

The donor-funded test site can safely identify children who have COVID-19 and should be quarantined — while keeping them out of the emergency room. The test site is administered by medical professionals who have experience dealing with children.

“We want to do something a little separate, a little different, that’s kid-friendly so that when we’re taking these samples it’s all about the children — and it’s just a very different vibe to it,” Newman said.

He said with the disease being so new, there’s a real need for information and data, especially as it relates to children with underlying medical conditions.

“We haven’t done enough testing, we don’t have enough data to really know. So we don’t want to wait to find out. We want to get these tests done and find out if kids are being affected,” Newman said.

He said Children’s National doesn’t yet know how large the demand for pediatric testing will be for the new site. At some point, they may face the same test kit shortage that exists across the country. The hospital has a separate testing system to test children who are already patients within the hospital.

Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference Monday afternoon that he signed an executive order to close many businesses for at least 30 days. 

Restaurants can continue carryout, delivery and drive-thru service.

All recreational and entertainment businesses must close, Northam said. These include bowling alleys, theaters, fitness centers and race tracks. Any “personal care services” that cannot adhere to social distancing also must close, including barbershops, massage parlors and spas. 

All non-essential stores can remain open but are limited to having only 10 patrons at a time. They must “adhere to social distancing and increase sanitization.” 

“We are essentially fighting a biological war right now in this country,” Northam said, acknowledging the hardships the restrictions would create for many residents.

Grocery stores, health services and businesses “in the supply chain” can remain open but also must ramp up distancing and sanitization. ABC stores, which sell alcohol, also can remain open.

The restrictions on businesses take effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. 

The restrictions announced Monday are a steep step up from what business owners and employees faced last week. Last Tuesday morning, Northam recommended that restaurants, gyms and theaters serve a maximum of 10 people at once. Later in the day, he made it a requirement. 

Go here to see the full executive order and here to see answers to frequently asked questions. 

The two-week-long school closures that Northam announced March 13 were set to expire this Friday, March 27. 

School leaders will get guidance Tuesday on four different options for how students can do their work and try to complete courses. 

The governor underscored the need for child care for the children of essential workers. He called on communities to keep day care centers open or provide other means of caring for the estimated 80,000 children of first responders and health care providers. 

Groups of 10 or more people in any public place will be ordered to disperse. 

Virginia had 254 positive cases of coronavirus as of Monday afternoon. Six people with the virus died. 

About 3,700 people had been tested for the virus by public and private laboratories. 

Northam said more people would test positive. 

“These numbers unfortunately will continue to rise. We are in this for months, not weeks,” he said. 

Northam acknowledged that the extended school closure would have serious impacts on families of young children, and he called for “an urgent public-private response” to make sure essential workers have access to childcare. The Department of Social Services and Department of Education would be issuing guidance to communities later Monday, he said. 

The governor also said he understood the impact the changes would have on the economy, noting that about 40,000 people filed for unemployment just last week. But he said the sooner the health care crisis was brought under control, the sooner the economy could begin to recover. 

“We are moving into a period of sacrifice,” he said.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story. 

Washington, D.C., officials urged residents to stay home except for essential trips and said officials will “move along” anyone who is not practicing social distancing. 

Mayor Muriel Bowser asked residents to steer clear of anyone who is not a member of “your family unit.” She stopped short of issuing a shelter-in-place order, as mayors and governors across the country have done. 

“My message to residents of Washington, D.C., and visitors is to stay at home,” Bowser said.  

Any groups of people in D.C. will be asked to disperse, the mayor said, including people playing sports on the National Mall. 

“We are gonna ask our teams to move along people who are not practicing social distancing,” she said. 

Despite the pandemic, people stood shoulder-to-shoulder to see D.C.’s famous cherry blossoms in peak bloom on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday night, Bowser ordered additional street closures near the Tidal Basin and said police and the D.C. National Guard would “enforce a restricted access zone around the Tidal Basin until further notice to ensure social distancing.”

The District hired a distillery and a coffee roaster to make 2,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for D.C. first responders, health care workers and critical government personnel. 

Republic Restoratives Distillery and Compass Coffee will each make 1,000 gallons, the mayor’s office said. 

Bowser thanked the businesses. 

“These local small businesses will repurpose their operations to assist DC workers. This supports our local economy, and we are grateful to Republic Restoratives, Compass Coffee, and other businesses for stepping up to help during this public health emergency,” she said in a statement.

D.C. extended the deadline for filing and paying your taxes to July 15. 

As of Monday morning, D.C. had 116 confirmed cases of the virus. Two people with the virus died. Seven members of the fire and EMS department and one police officer tested positive, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donahue said. One officer and 118 members of the fire department were self-quarantined.

Later Monday, the Metropolitan Police Department said a second officer had tested positive. The officer was quarantined and is recovering at home, the department said in a release. Health officials and DC Fire and EMS were working to determine the potential spread to other personnel or the community.

The number of people with the virus in the District is expected to grow, said D.C. health department director LaQuandra Nesbitt. 

“We know we will experience more cases. We want everyone to stay home so that more of our cases will recover and the number of individuals who will be impacted will be blunted,” she said. 

Seventeen people diagnosed with coronavirus in D.C. have recovered, Nesbitt said. Those who are considered to have recovered had seven days without symptoms. 

The District has not seen any geographic clusters in cases, Nesbitt said. 

In a tweet Monday, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine called on the mayor to issue a shelter-in-place order. 

When asked about Racine, Bowser said, “The attorney general has not been involved in the response [to coronavirus] and I don’t think now is the appropriate time for politics.” 

On Friday, D.C. extended school closures through April 27 and said restaurants and bars must continue to offer only takeout, delivery or drive-thru service. The ban on any mass gatherings was extended until April 25.

Bowser said Friday the sweeping measures were necessary.

“We virtually shut down our thriving economy in Washington, D.C., so that we can blunt the curve and get back to regular business just as soon as possible,” she said.

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Grocery stores, restaurants, farmer’s markets, convenience stores, liquor stores and cafeterias can remain open. The prohibition on dine-in service continues. Anyone who works in the food supply chain, from farmers to delivery drivers to retail workers, is considered essential.

Some other businesses that are considered essential and can stay open include: hotels, electrician firms, janitorial firms, laundromats, dry cleaners, TV stations, banks, insurance companies, staffing companies and transportation companies.

Here’s a government explainer on what can stay open.

Hogan said the measures are necessary to protect state residents and save lives. He explicitly said the state is not issuing a shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order at this time, but police will be enforcing bans on gatherings of 10 or more people.

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“Unless you have an essential reason to leave your house, stay home,” Hogan said.

Several states and localities across the country have ordered people to shelter in place or stay at home unless absolutely necessary, but Gov. Hogan opted

“I think our actions are actually more aggressive than some states who have ordered shelter-in-place,” Hogan said. “We don’t think it’s as Draconian, to lock people in their homes but to stop some of the places where they gather.”

Hogan said that when businesses and gathering spots are closed, people have good reason to follow the advice to stay home. He didn’t comment on people gathering with friends or family and said the state was evaluating its actions every day.

Maryland to Funnel Relief Money to Small Businesses

Hogan announced several multi-million-dollar grants and loan funds that will be funneled towards small businesses. These loans and grants can be used to pay essential bills, like rent, and keep employees on the payrolls.

That includes the $75-million Maryland Small Business Covid-19 Relief Fund, which will provide working capital to small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 50 employees, and a $50 million COVID-19 Relief Grant Fund, which will give direct immediate grants to up to 10,000 small businesses that have lost revenue.

For individual relief, the state’s unemployment office is accepting claims. Marylanders can immediately apply for unemployment after losing a job.

The governor announced a $5 million incentive fund to encourage businesses to produce masks, which are essential to protecting health care workers from the coronavirus.

Hogan has already urged residents to stay home and socially distance themselves to protect from the spread of disease.

“Unprecedented Actions” to Fight Coronavirus

Maryland had adopted what the governor called “unprecedented actions,” canceling school through March 27, banning gatherings of more than 10 people and directing all restaurants halt dine-in service as cases rose last week. The state also directed enclosed malls and entertainment venues to close.

But Hogan expressed concern last week that Marylanders weren’t taking social distancing orders seriously enough, saying he was hearing reports of gatherings in public parks.

“Let me be very clear. If you are engaged in this type of activity, you are in violation of state law and you are endangering the lives of your fellow Marylanders.”

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms including fever. shortness of breath and cough. Recovery might take about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

Thus far, three people in Maryland have died from COVID-19, state health officials said. A total of 288 people have been diagnosed with the disease.

Several states and counties have taken a more extraordinary step in ordering residents to shelter in place or stay at home, including several counties around San Francisco and the state of Illinois.