The latest news from around the U.S. and the world on coronavirus:

Wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tests positive for coronavirus

“We will get through this situation together. Please share the facts and take your health seriously,” she continued. “I send you all my courage and warm thoughts (but only “get better” hugs from afar!).”

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, arrive Sept. 11 at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. Trudeau decided to quarantine himself at home after his wife tested positive for the coronavirus. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP

Asian shares plunge after Wall Street’s worst day since ’87

Shares have plunged in Asia, with Japan’s benchmark sinking 10% after Wall Street suffered its biggest drop since the Black Monday crash of 1987.

Markets worldwide have retreated as fears of economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis deepen and the meltdown in the U.S., the world’s biggest economy, batters confidence around the globe.

South Korea’s Kospi sank 8.1%, Sydney’s S&P ASX/200 gave up 7.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 6.3%.

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Pelosi says agreement near with White House on virus aid

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced late Thursday that she and the Trump administration are close to agreement on a coronavirus aid package, as negotiators struggled to hammer out a deal to provide funding and resources for American workers, families and businesses reeling with health and financial problems from the crisis.

Final details are being worked out but Pelosi expected an announcement Friday. The House could vote swiftly.

“We have – are near – to an agreement,” Pelosi said, emerging from her office at the Capitol shortly before 9 p.m. after a long day of many crosstown phone calls with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnunchin, whom was tapped by the White House to lead the talks.

The sudden announcement was aimed as a confidence booster, Democrats said, on an otherwise tumultuous day as Washington strained for a comprehensive response to the coronavirus outbreak that is testing the nation’s political, financial and health care systems.

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Biden, Sanders aim to appear presidential after Trump’s shaky address

Joe Biden walked into a darkened ballroom, a grim look on his face, and turned to the rolling cameras to read his prepared text. He laid out a detailed plan for how the government should tackle the coronavirus pandemic – adding hospital beds, making free tests readily available and, above all, making “radical changes in our personal behaviors.”

Bernie Sanders, speaking a short time later, was if anything more sober, declaring that the crisis was “on the scale of a major war,” and adding, “The number of casualties may actually be even higher than what the Armed Forces experienced in World War II.”

Those two presidential-looking moments came a day after President Trump sat at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office of the White House, bringing to bear all the trappings of the most powerful office in the world in an effort to calm the nerves of a jittery nation.

The world didn’t respond as he hoped, with the stock markets collapsing, professional sports leagues suspending their seasons, major cultural events canceled and Americans bracing for the sorts of daily disruptions they have never experienced.

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Iran appears to be preparing mass grave for victims

Two days after Iran declared its first cases of the novel coronavirus – in what would become one of the largest outbreaks of the illness outside of China – evidence of unusual activity appeared at a cemetery near where the infections emerged.

At the Behesht-e Masoumeh complex in Qom, about 80 miles south of Tehran, the excavation of a new section of the graveyard began as early as Feb. 21, satellite images show, and then rapidly expanded as the virus spread. By the end of the month, two large trenches – their lengths totaling 100 yards – were visible at the site from space.

According to expert analysis, video testimony and official statements, the graves were dug to accommodate the rising number of virus victims in Qom.

Iran, a nation of about 80 million people, has suffered a particularly deadly surge of coronavirus infections, including among its top leadership. Iran’s Health Ministry says that 429 people have died of the virus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19, and more than 10,000 have fallen ill. Among the dead are members of parliament, a former diplomat and even a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader. At least two dozen other officials, including a vice president, have been infected.

In Qom, the spiritual center of Iran’s ruling Shiite clerics, more than 846 people have contracted the virus, officials say. Iran’s government has not released an official death toll for Qom, however, where about 1.2 million people live. But videos, satellite images and other open-source data from the cemetery – a vast complex six miles north of the city center – suggest that the number of people struck down by the virus there is significantly higher than the official figure.

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Oregon to get fraction of protective gear needed

Oregon officials say they will be getting just a fraction of the personal protective equipment sought from the U.S. government for front-line medical workers treating COVID-19 patients.

Nik Blosser, Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff, told The Associated Press the federal response was “staggeringly inadequate.”

Brown wrote to Vice President Mike Pence on March 3, saying Oregon needed 400,000 N-95 respirator masks and the same number of gowns and gloves and disposable protective suits, plus up to 100 ventilators in case the coronavirus spread more widely in the state.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised the governor’s office that Oregon will be receiving only 36,600 N-95 respirator masks, 87,000 surgical masks, 16,700 face shields, 13,700 surgical gowns and 48,500 gloves. No ventilators were listed.

Charles Boyle, Brown’s spokesman, said the state was told much of the equipment is past its expiration date.

Federal officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Late last month Pence told reporters the U.S. had more than 40 million masks available and would produce 35 million more per month.

A bottle of hand sanitizer sits on the Kansas Senate sergeant at arms’ desk in the back of the chamber, Thursday at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. John Hanna/Associated Press

Kansas reports first death, declares state of emergency

State officials are reporting the first COVID-19 death, a man in his 70s who lived in a nursing home in the Kansas City, Kansas, area.

State Secretary of Health and Environment Lee Norman said Thursday that the man died Wednesday at a hospital after he was admitted with heart problems.

He said he did not know how the man was infected.

Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of emergency so that the state can better free up resources.

She said the state will ban large gatherings at the Statehouse and limit visitors to only people who have business before the Legislature.

Mormons cancel all global church activities

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is suspending all of its worship services globally because of the spread of the new coronavirus.

The decision was made hours after Utah’s governor recommended limiting group gatherings in the state to no more than 100 people for at least two weeks.

The Utah-based faith sent a letter Thursday to members informing them of a decision that also calls on a temporary suspension of all church activities until further notice.

The move comes a day after the faith announced it would hold a major conference in early April without attendees.

It is first time since a 1957 flu epidemic that the religion has taken the step of barring church members from attending in person.

Miami shutting down spring break activities

Officials in Miami Beach have declared spring break is over as they suspended permits for concerts and an LGBTQ festival.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told reporters that venues are shutting down altogether or canceling events.

The city will not issue permits for spring break concerts and the Miami Beach Gay Pride parade, scheduled for early April. Public beaches are still open.

Gelber says that “to the extent that anyone can declare spring break is over, it is over this year.”

Many people have canceled Florida flights and hotel reservations.

The Miami Herald newspaper reported that Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive Association of property and business owners says hotels are struggling and that some are laying off workers.

Trump cancels campaign rallies

President Trump says he’s temporarily halting his trademark rallies as his campaign bows to the coronavirus outbreak that is rapidly reshaping the political landscape.

The rallies have long been Trump’s most potent political weapon. They energize the candidate and give him a powerful platform from which to attack his adversaries while his team collects a treasure trove of voter data.

But the spread of the virus which has closed schools and shuttered professional sports leagues has also touched the 2020 presidential campaign.

Leading Democratic contenders Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders canceled their scheduled rallies earlier this week.

Sen. Lindsey Graham will self-quarantine 

WASHINGTON — The office of Sen. Lindsey Graham says he has decided to self-quarantine himself and work remotely because he was in Florida at an event attended by a top Brazilian government official who tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s communications director, Fábio Wajngarten, tested positive just days after traveling with Bolsonaro to a meeting with Trump and senior aides in Florida. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement Thursday that “exposures from the case are being assessed, which will dictate next steps.”

“Both the president and vice president had almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive and do not require being tested at this time,” Grisham said.

A statement from Graham’s office Thursday says Graham was tested for the virus and is waiting for the result.

The statement from Graham’s office says took the steps because of advice from his doctor.

The White House says U.S. President Trump has no plans to be tested for the new coronavirus or go into self-quarantine after attending the same events last weekend.

Wajngarten joined Bolsonaro on a three-day trip to the U.S. and on Saturday was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, where he posted a photo of himself posing beside Trump. A video from the event also showed him standing directly behind both presidents as they addressed a crowd.

The meeting also included Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Brazil’s foreign minister Ernesto Araujo and Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo, who is a federal lawmaker, among others. Vice President Mike Pence went to Mar-a-Lago that evening.

Wajngarten initially denied a report on Wednesday that he had been tested for the virus, saying on his social media account that his health was fine. He is now in self-quarantine at home, according to the statement.

A statement from Bolsonaro’s communications office on Thursday said that Wajngarten’s test results have come back positive and that the presidency is adopting preventive measures to ensure Bolsonaro’s health.

Disneyland closing for the rest of the month

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are in the process of shutting down and will be closed for the rest of March — an unprecedented move for the United States’ theme park industry amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Walt Disney Co. made the announcement late Thursday afternoon that its California parks would close down Saturday. The press release did not give an update on Disney World, which is currently open.

Employees will continue to get paid, the company said.

The Disneyland hotels will stay open until Monday so guests can make travel plans.

“We will monitor the ongoing situation and follow the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and health agencies,” Disney said.

The closures come after California recommended canceling gatherings of 250 people or more across the state. Initially, Disneyland was exempt, officials said earlier Thursday.

Disney is also offering a temporary fee waiver if people wanted to postpone their Disney-booked vacations for later this year.

Read the full story on global entertainment closings here.

In Italy, hospitals overflow with the dead

Patients lie in one of the emergency structures that have been set up at the Brescia hospital in northern Italy on Thursday. Associated Press/Luca Bruno

Hospitals in Italy’s hard-hit Lombardy region, already overwhelmed trying to care for the increasing number of sick people in limited intensive care units, are overflowing with the dead.

Lombardy’s top health care official, Giulio Gallera, said at the request of the hospitals, the region had simplified the bureaucracy needed to process death certificates and bury the dead, which in Lombardy alone had reached 617 by late Wednesday.

Italian officials have halted both weddings and funerals for a month in their efforts to control Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak. The country has nearly 12,500 infections and has seen 827 deaths overall.

Gallera noted that with no funerals allowed, the process of cemetery burials was moving faster than before.

Worldwide, 126,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus, 68,000 have recovered and 4,600 have died.

Hollywood shuts down; Broadway goes dark

NEW YORK — The entertainment industry prepared Thursday for an unprecedented shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, canceling upcoming movies, suspending all Broadway performances and eliminating live audiences from television shows until it’s safe to welcome crowds back.

To accommodate calls for social distancing, Hollywood moved to pause the normal hum of TV productions and the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres. After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people, Broadway theaters announced that they would close immediately and remain dark through April 12.

The closures amount to a nearly complete halting of the industry, from Lincoln Center to Hollywood, and the largest-scale shutdown of many of the country’s major arteries of culture.

The upcoming “A Quiet Place 2” and the latest “Fast & Furious” movie joined the many postponements that have erased much of the upcoming movie release calendar. The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall all canceled events through March 31.

The dawning awareness of the virus’ reach had already forced the cancellation or postponement of all major imminent events on the calendar, including the sprawling South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas; Hollywood’s annual movie expo CinemaCon, in Las Vegas; this month’s Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles; the sunny California music festival Coachella, which was put off until October; and big television events like the NBA season, which was put on hiatus after a player tested positive for the virus. The NHL also suspended its season.

Read the full story here.

Most coronavirus patients recover, but anxiety, fear loom

SEATTLE — Amid all the fears, quarantines and stockpiling of food, it has been easy to ignore the fact that more than 60,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus spreading around the globe.

The disease can cause varying degrees of illness and is especially troublesome for older adults and people with existing health problems, who are at risk of severe effects, including pneumonia. But for most of those affected, coronavirus creates only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, with the vast majority recovering from the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe ailments may take three to six weeks to rebound. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed, but more than 58,000 already have recovered.

Because the difference in impact can be so great, global health authorities have the difficult task of alerting the public to the virus’ dangers without creating panic.

Read the full story here.

Congress closes all all buildings to the public

WASHINGTON — Congress is shutting the Capitol and all House and Senate office buildings to the public until April in reaction to the spread of the coronavirus.

The House and Senate sergeants at arms said in a statement that the closure will begin at 5 p.m. EDT Thursday. Lawmakers, aides, journalists and official visitors will be allowed into the buildings.

The statement says officials are acting “out of concern for the health and safety of congressional employees as well as the public.”

European Central Bank deploys stimulus to ease virus damage

FRANKFURT, Germany — The European Central Bank is deploying new stimulus measures to cushion the economic pain inflicted by the virus outbreak, but avoided cutting interest rates in a situation where economists say monetary policy can do little more than limit the damage.

The central bank for the 19 countries that use the euro decided Thursday to buy up to $132 billion more in bonds this year.

The money is newly created and injected into the financial system. It comes on top of purchases worth 20 billion euros a month it is already carrying out, and would be aimed at corporate bonds, which should help keep credit available to companies.

ECB President Christine Lagarde said the economy was facing a “major shock” and that the measures unveiled Thursday were “almost surgically” targeted at areas where monetary policy tools could help.

The central bank, she said, was “determined to support households and firms in the face of the current economic disruptions and heightened uncertainty.”

Read the full story here.

China shuts Everest over virus fears

Expedition operators on Mount Everest said that Chinese mountaineering officials will not allow spring climbs from their side of the mountain due to fears of the coronavirus.

On the other side of the mountain in Nepal, operators say cancellations for the popular spring climbing season have been pouring in despite the mountain being open for business.

As the virus is coming under control in China, officials there are taking steps to prevent new infections coming from abroad, including by putting overseas travelers arriving in Beijing into 14-day quarantine.

Princess Cruises halts operations for 60 days

ORLANDO, Fla. — Princess Cruises is halting its cruise ships for 60 days for sailings from March 12 to May 10, the cruise line said in a statement Thursday.

“In proactive response to the unpredictable circumstances evolving from the global spread of COVID-19 and in an abundance of caution, Princess Cruises announced that it will voluntarily pause global operations of its 18 cruise ships for two months,” the cruise line said in a statement.

“Princess Cruises is a global vacation company that serves more than 50,000 guests daily from 70 countries as part of our diverse business, and it is widely known that we have been managing the implications of COVID-19 on two continents,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises in the press release. “By taking this bold action of voluntarily pausing the operations of our ships, it is our intention to reassure our loyal guests, team members and global stakeholders of our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who sail with us, as well as those who do business with us, and the countries and communities we visit around the world,” added Swartz.

“Those currently onboard a cruise that will end in the next five days will continue to sail as expected through the end of the itinerary so that onward travel arrangements are not disrupted. Current voyages that are underway and extend beyond March 17 will be ended at the most convenient location for guests, factoring in operational requirements. Princess will do everything possible to return each guest home with the greatest amount of care possible. During this time, our operations and medical teams across the fleet will remain vigilant in their care and service for guests and crew onboard.”

EU strongly condemns Trump travel ban from Europe

BRUSSELS  — The European Union on Thursday lashed out at President Donald Trump’s “unilateral” decision to restrict travel from Europe to the United States over the coronavirus, saying that the illness does not respect borders.

Trump announced that all European travel would be cut off, but U.S. officials later clarified that restrictions would apply only to most foreign citizens who have been in Europe’s passport-free travel zone at any point for 14 days prior to their arrival to the United States.

A passenger waring a protective masks gets her boarding card at Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport on the outskirts of Madrid on Wednesday. Associated Press/Bernat Armangue

“The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation,” EU Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.

“The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action,” the two said.

They rejected Trump’s suggestion that Europe is not doing enough to combat COVID-19, saying that the 27-nation bloc “is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus.”

The restrictions announced by Trump don’t apply to the United Kingdom, where the number of confirmed cases has reached 460, or Ireland, which isn’t part of Schengen.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s latest figures, more than 17,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across Europe, and more than 700 people have died on the continent.

With the virus now present in all 27 EU countries, the bloc’s top officials have pledged to stand united in fighting the disease and are likely to adopt a common approach in their response to Trump’s announcement.

Read more on the travel suspension here.

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