New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Friday for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses to handle an expected surge in coronavirus cases in New York and other places around the country where virus cases are straining existing health care systems.
โNext week in New York City is going to be very tough โ next week in New York City and Detroit and New Orleans and a lot of other places,โ de Blasio said on MSNBC's โMorning Joe.โ โAnd unless the military is fully mobilized and we create something weโve never had before, which is some kind of national enlistment of medical personnel moved to the most urgent needs in the country constantly, if we donโt have that weโre going to see hospitals simply unable to handle so many people who could be saved."
De Blasio said on CNN that the country should be on a wartime footing to meet the coronavirus threat. โWeโre fighting a war against an invisible enemy that is increasingly taking the lives of Americans in vast numbers,โ he said.
Here's an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.
- A record-long streak of U.S. job growth ended suddenly in March after nearly a decade as employers cut 701,000 jobs because of the viral outbreak that's all but shut down the U.S. economy. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% from a 50-year low of 3.5%.
- Worldwide, confirmed infections climbed past 1 million and deaths topped 54,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. There are more than 245,000 people infected in the U.S. and the death toll has topped 6,000. The Federal Emergency Management Agency asked the Pentagon for 100,000 more body bags.
- Setting up makeshift ICU wards in libraries and conference centers, embattled European medical workers strained Friday to save thousands of desperately ill coronavirus patients as stocks of medicine, protective equipment and breathing machines grew shorter by the hour.
- Passengers from an ill-fated cruise were carefully freed from their cabins and allowed to touch dry land on Friday for the first time in weeks, following the removal of 14 critically ill people who were wheeled off to Florida hospitals bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus patients.
- The pandemic will cost the global economy as much as $4.1 trillion, or nearly 5% of all economic activity, according to new estimates from the Asian Development Bank.
- The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many Americans wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus as the president defends his response to the crisis. A person familiar with the White House coronavirus task force's discussion said officials would suggest that nonmedical masks, T-shirts or bandannas be used to cover the nose and mouth people go outside โ for instance, at the grocery store or pharmacy.
- Google has started releasing location data to help public health officials track how people are responding to lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. tech giant said Friday that itโs publishing aggregated, anonymized data for 131 countries and regions to highlight movement trends over time.
- Just when Americans need it most, a U.S. newspaper industry already under stress is facing an unprecedented new challenge. Newspapers and other publications are under pressure as advertising craters. They are cutting jobs, staff hours and pay, dropping print editions -- and in some cases shutting down entirely.
---
For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for financial tips, interactive maps and a guide to the pandemic.
---
More than 90% of the U.S. population is now living under some version of a shutdown order, which has forced the closure of bars, restaurants, movie theaters, factories, gyms and most other businesses. Here are some helpful tips for those affected by the job losses.
---
This coverage is being provided free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus pandemic. Please support local journalism by subscribing.
You will find more infographics at Statista
Your complete guide to COVID-19
