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Donald Trump has extended federal guidelines on social distancing until April 30 after a top health official warned more than 100,000 people could die from the coronavirus in the United States.
The announcement on Sunday evening came as the death toll in hard-hit New York state passed 1,000.
“The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period it’s very important that everyone strongly follow the guidelines … We will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread.”
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The initial 15-day period had been due to expire on Monday.
The US has 139,000 confirmed infections from the coronavirus, more than any other country in the world, while more than 2,400 people have died from the respiratory illness caused by the pathogen.
Worldwide, the number of cases has reached more than 718,000. Some 149,000 people have recovered, and more than 33,000 have died.
Here are all the latest updates:
Monday, March 30
01:30 GMT – Japanese comedian dies from coronavirus
Ken Shimura, one of Japan’s best known comedian, died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Tokyo, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
He was 70 years old.
00:50 GMT – Death toll in New York state surpasses 1,000
More than 1,000 people have died from the coronavirus outbreak in New York state, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
On Sunday evening, New York City said its toll had risen to 776. The total number of statewide deaths isn’t expected to be released until Monday, but with at least 250 additional deaths recorded outside the city as of Sunday morning, the state’s total fatalities was at least 1,026, AP said.
00:30 GMT – China reports 31 new cases in mainland
The number of COVID-19 infections in China continues to slow, with health authorities in Beijing reporting 31 new cases at the end of Sunday.
The figure includes one locally transmitted infection, and marks a drop from the 45 cases reported a day earlier.
In mainland China, the total number of cases to date rose to 81,470 in the mainland, while the cumulative death toll increased to 3,304.
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US could see up to 200,000 deaths related to coronavirus, says Fauci (8:52) |
Sunday, March 29
23:20 GMT – Trump extends US ‘social distancing’ guidelines to April 30
Donald Trump extended federal guidelines on social distancing for another 30 days after a top public health expert warned deaths from the coronavirus could reach as many as 200,000 in the US.
“The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks. So I’ll say it again, the peak, the highest point of death rates, remember, this is likely to hit in two weeks. Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period it’s very important that every one strongly follow the guidelines,” Trump told reporters.
“The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end. Therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread.”
The guidelines, which recommend people stay home and avoid social gatherings, had been set to expire on Monday.
Hello, I’m Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives, with Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Read all the updates from yesterday, March 29 here.
