US coronavirus news: Trump says economy 'may be' heading for recession as White House issues new Covid-19 guidelines
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump said the coronavirus outbreak could trigger a recession on Monday, as states across the country prepared to enter into lockdown with shops and venues closing nationwide.
The president said the US "may" see a recession as a result of the outbreak, but added that "the market will take care of itself" during a press conference at the White House.
The Dow Jones plummeted 3,000 points on Monday, reflecting the market's worst one-day point drop in history. Monday's drop came just one day after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to near-zero, a dramatic move that appeared to do little to restore confidence in the market, while cities and states across the US announced sweeping closures to avoid spreading the virus.
Meanwhile, San Francisco's mayor ordered the city's residents to "shelter at home" for three weeks in one of the most stringent responses yet to the coronavirus by a major US city.
The death toll rose to at least 69 and the number of cases in the US rose to more than 3,500, with experts suggesting those numbers are actually far higher due to the lack of nationwide testing.
The White House has meanwhile been forced to deny rumours of a national quarantine and nightly curfews, as reports indicated the US Health and Human Services Department suffered an attempted cyber attack amid its response to the pandemic.
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Mar-a-Lago closed for deep cleaning as Melania Trump announces White House Easter Egg Roll cancellation
Trump's "Winter White House" in Palm Beach is reportedly closed today for deep cleaning after three Brazilian officials - president Jair Bolsonaro, communications secretary Fabio Wajngarten and charge d’affaires ambassador Nestor Forster - attended a dinner there and subsequently tested positive.
Meanwhile, Melania has some bad news for Republican children: Easter is cancelled at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"The health and safety of all Americans must be the first priority, especially right now," the first lady said in a written statement, annoucing the traditional Egg Roll being stopped.
"I deeply regret this cancellation, but we need to make difficult decisions in the short-term to ensure a healthy country for the long-term."
White House disputes rumours of national curfew
Well, there you have it - the administration is saying talks of a national curfew are seemingly unfounded after reports indicated the White House was considering implementing the move amid the coronavirus pandemic:
Supreme Court postpones oral arguments
The US Supreme Court has suspended all upcoming oral arguments for a slate of historic cases as the nation responds to the coronavirus pandemic, reportedly delaying the in-person proceedings “in light of the developing circumstances”.
In a statement released on Monday, the nation’s highest court said it would delay the remainder of oral arguments scheduled throughout March in order to comply with recommendations from US health officials surrounding the deadly illness.
The statement said the decision was made “in keeping with public health precautions” and that the court would “examine the options for rescheduling” impacted oral arguments in the future “in light of the developing circumstances”.
The Supreme Court justices were set to take on multiple high-profile cases, from reviewing numerous rape convictions within the Air Force that were overturned last year, to Donald Trump’s long-fought battle to conceal his tax records from lawmakers and the public.
Story to come...
Trump slams New York governor after call
The president attacked the governor of New York after saying he conducted a tele-conference with governors across the country:
Society is closing down across the country
States like New York and New Jersey are preparing to close up everything from gyms to nightclubs as they deal with the coronavirus pandemic:
Florida confirms surge of new cases
The southern state said its total number of confirmed cases had shot up to more than 150. Meanwhile, experts predict the real figures across the country are actually much higher:
Governor of Washington closes restaurants and bars for two weeks
Washington Governor Jay Inslee made the announcement with the following statement:
"Given explosion of virus, I will be signing a state-wide executive proclamation temporarily restaurants, bars, recreational facilities. This order is operational for two weeks and could be extended."
Ron Paul calls coronavirus a 'hoax' in wild column
The Independent's Louise Hall has more on Ron Paul's column about the coronavirus:
In a column on titled ‘the coronavirus hoax’ Ron Paul alleges the virus is allowing to government to remove civil liberties and enforce martial law.
”It is ironic to see the same Democrats who tried to impeach President Trump last month for abuse of power demanding that the Administration grab more power and authority in the name of fighting a virus that thus far has killed less than 100 Americans,” he writes.
In the US 3,485 cases of the disease and 65 deaths have been recorded so far.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended a two-week
ban on gatherings of more than 50 people as part of the battle to contain the spread of the contagion.
Mr Paul continued the column hitting out at Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases accusing the official of
stirring up “falsehoods.”
“Fauci is all over the media, serving up outright falsehoods to stir up even more
panic. He testified to Congress that the death rate for the coronavirus is ten
times that of the seasonal flu, a claim without any scientific basis,” he wrote.
Dr Fauci has been vocal in his support for increased social distancing and civilian
caution when it comes to Covid-19.
New York governor slams Trump in response to coronavirus call
Governor Andrew Cuomo has responded to the president's Twitter attacks with a statement of his own:
White House releases new guidelines for all Americans
Donald Trump is currently laying out new guidelines for all US citizens to follow amid the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting gatherings of more than 10 be cancelled and encouraging parents to home school their children.
The guidelines are so far not mandatory.
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