The United States's caseload of coronavirus infections surged to the most in the world and its capital reported more infections as Italy shut most of its industry and masses of Indian day laborers received food rations after a lockdown put them out of work.
Increases in the number of cases have been expected as testing becomes more available. The U.S. passed China with more than 85,000 cases, and Italy also exceeded 80,000, the three countries accounting for almost half of the world's infections from the new virus. Most of China's patients have recovered, while places where the virus arrived later are now dealing with overwhelmed hospitals and converting public spaces for treating the sick.
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The United States's caseload of coronavirus infections surged to the most in the world and its capital reported more infections as Italy shut most of its industry and masses of Indian day laborers received food rations after a lockdown put them out of work.
The stay-home order for India's 1.3 billion people threw out of work the backbone of the nation’s economy — rickshaw drivers, fruit peddlers, cleaners and others who buy food from whatever they can earn in a day. The government announced a 1.7 trillion rupee ($22 billion) economic stimulus package to deliver monthly rations to 800 million people. In some places, people got rice rations from police, and aid groups were working to expand their reach.
The economic damage of the pandemic was growing. Italy shut down most of its industry, and a record-shattering 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in a single week.
“Everything is so surreal," he said. "I can't even get an interview for another job, and we now have to worry more about being careful and taking care of ourselves.”
And Britain unveiled another relief effort, this time aimed at the gig economy, many of whose workers are facing financial ruin. The government will give the self-employed grants equal to 80% of their average profits, up to 2,500 pounds ($2,975) per month.
— Saudi Arabia is locking down the capital, Riyadh, and Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, in addition to a nationwide curfew. In the United Arab Emirates, authorities announced an overnight weekend lockdown and used drones to tell people to stay home.
— A U.S. soldier stationed at a camp near Seoul is the second case among U.S. service members in South Korea.
So far, more than 120,000 people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins tally.
Red Cross workers prepare emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 27, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoAhn Young-joon)
Red Cross workers carry boxes containing emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities like instant food for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 27, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoAhn Young-joon)
South African Defense Forces patrol downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, March 27, 2020. Police and army started patrolling moments after South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in an effort to mitigate the spread to the coronavirus. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.(AP PhotoJerome Delay)
An Indian man carries his children on his shoulders as he along with his family walk along an expressway hoping to reach their home, hundreds of miles away, as the city comes under lockdown in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 26, 2020. Some of India's legions of poor and people suddenly thrown out of work by a nationwide stay-at-home order began receiving aid distribution Thursday, as both the public and private sector work to blunt the impact of efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Untold numbers of them are now out of work and many families have been left struggling to eat. (AP PhotoAltaf Qadri)
A group of Indian daily wage laborers walk along an expressway hoping to reach their homes, hundreds of kilometers away, as the city comes under lockdown in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 26, 2020. Some of India's legions of poor and people suddenly thrown out of work by a nationwide stay-at-home order began receiving aid distribution Thursday, as both the public and private sector work to blunt the impact of efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Untold numbers of them are now out of work and many families have been left struggling to eat. (AP PhotoAltaf Qadri)
Washington, D.C., confirmed 36 new cases Thursday, raising its total to 267. The district is under a state of emergency, its major attractions like the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo closed and White House and Capitol tours cancelled. Police have blocked off streets, bridges and traffic circles to prevent crowds coming to see Washington’s blooming cherry blossom trees.
Red Cross workers prepare emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities including instant food for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 27, 2020. 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. (AP PhotoAhn Young-joon)
The stay-home order for India's 1.3 billion people threw out of work the backbone of the nation’s economy — rickshaw drivers, fruit peddlers, cleaners and others who buy food from whatever they can earn in a day. The government announced a 1.7 trillion rupee ($22 billion) economic stimulus package to deliver monthly rations to 800 million people. In some places, people got rice rations from police, and aid groups were working to expand their reach.
Deaths from COVID-19 have surpassed 24,000, more than a third of them in Italy, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. The U.S. had about 1,300 deaths, almost a quarter of them in New York City, where hospitals are overwhelmed.
In China, where the virus was first believed to have jumped from wild animals to humans, the National Health Commission on Friday reported 55 new cases, including 54 it said were imported infections in recent arrivals from overseas. Once again, there were no new cases reported in Wuhan, the provincial capital where the coronavirus emerged in December. China is barring most foreigners from entering as it tries to curb imported cases.
Members of the Protection Civile with protective mask Vincent Jactel, left, and Aurore Lejeune, right, escort a pregnant 27 year old woman suspected of having the coronavirus infection to an ambulance in Paris, Thursday, March 26, 2020. 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. (AP PhotoMichel Euler)
The economic damage of the pandemic was growing. Italy shut down most of its industry, and a record-shattering 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in a single week.
Companies in Europe are laying off workers at the fastest pace since 2009, according to surveys of business managers. And the U.S. is bleeding jobs as well: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week was nearly five times the old record, set in 1982.
Dann Dykas, 37, of Portland, Oregon, was laid off from his job helping design and set up displays for trade shows.
A staff member sprays disinfectant to a customer at the entrance of a cafeteria shop in Yangon, Myanmar Friday, March 27, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoThein Zaw)
“Everything is so surreal," he said. "I can't even get an interview for another job, and we now have to worry more about being careful and taking care of ourselves.”
Wall Street rallied for the third straight day after an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package to help businesses, hospitals and ordinary Americans pull through the crisis won passage in the Senate. The rescue plan, which is expected to be voted on in the House on Friday, would dispense checks of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.
Elsewhere around the world, South Africa, with the most industrialized economy in Africa, begins a three-week lockdown Friday. The country is already in recession, with an unemployment rate of 29%.
Master baker Simon Fritz accepts cash from a customer at the window of the improvised drive-in of his bakery with the help of a self-construction, in Weil am Rhein, Germany Thursday, March 26, 2020. The retail trade is already struggling with the consequences of the new coronavirus epidemic and the associated slump in sales. (Philipp von Ditfurthdpa via AP)
And Britain unveiled another relief effort, this time aimed at the gig economy, many of whose workers are facing financial ruin. The government will give the self-employed grants equal to 80% of their average profits, up to 2,500 pounds ($2,975) per month.
In other developments:
— New York state’s death toll jumped by 100 in one day, pushing the number to 385. Gov. Andrew Cuomo added that the number will increase as critically ill patients who have been on ventilators for several days succumb. “That is a situation where people just deteriorate over time,” Cuomo said.
Cars head along FDR Drive next to the Manhattan skyline, Thursday, March 26, 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak in New York. Because of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "stay-at-home" orders for all but essential workers, the streets and highways are quieter than normal. (AP PhotoMark Lennihan)
— Saudi Arabia is locking down the capital, Riyadh, and Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, in addition to a nationwide curfew. In the United Arab Emirates, authorities announced an overnight weekend lockdown and used drones to tell people to stay home.
— The leaders of the Group of 20 major industrialized nations met in a video summit and vowed to work together to confront the crisis but made no specific commitments.
— In Brazil, the country's governors are defying President Jair Bolsonaro over his call to reopen schools and businesses, dismissing his argument that the “cure” of widespread shutdowns is worse than the disease. As of Thursday, the country had more than 2,500 cases and 59 deaths.
Bicyclists and a pedestrian pass through a quiet Manhattan street, Thursday, March 26, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic in New York. Because of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "stay-at-home" orders for all but essential workers, the streets are quieter than normal. (AP PhotoMark Lennihan)
— A U.S. soldier stationed at a camp near Seoul is the second case among U.S. service members in South Korea.
— Singapore has begun penalizing people who refuse to adhere to social distancing in the latest bid to curb the virus. Anyone not maintaining a distance of 1 meter (3.3 feet) from another person in a public place such as a shopping center or shopping mall can be jailed up to six months or fined up to Singapore dollars 10,000 ($7,000) or both.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
A deserted highway is seen in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, March 27, 2020, after South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in an effort to mitigate the spread to the coronavirus. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death(AP PhotoNardus Engelbrecht)
So far, more than 120,000 people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins tally.
A sign telling people how to help slow the spread of COVID-19 by staying home, sits on an the empty downtown street in Edmonton, Alberta, Thursday, March 26, 2020. (Jason FransonThe Canadian Press via AP)
Red Cross workers prepare emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 27, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoAhn Young-joon)
Red Cross workers carry boxes containing emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities like instant food for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 27, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP PhotoAhn Young-joon)
South African Defense Forces patrol downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, March 27, 2020. Police and army started patrolling moments after South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in an effort to mitigate the spread to the coronavirus. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.(AP PhotoJerome Delay)
An Indian man carries his children on his shoulders as he along with his family walk along an expressway hoping to reach their home, hundreds of miles away, as the city comes under lockdown in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 26, 2020. Some of India's legions of poor and people suddenly thrown out of work by a nationwide stay-at-home order began receiving aid distribution Thursday, as both the public and private sector work to blunt the impact of efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Untold numbers of them are now out of work and many families have been left struggling to eat. (AP PhotoAltaf Qadri)
A group of Indian daily wage laborers walk along an expressway hoping to reach their homes, hundreds of kilometers away, as the city comes under lockdown in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 26, 2020. Some of India's legions of poor and people suddenly thrown out of work by a nationwide stay-at-home order began receiving aid distribution Thursday, as both the public and private sector work to blunt the impact of efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Untold numbers of them are now out of work and many families have been left struggling to eat. (AP PhotoAltaf Qadri)