US moves closer to a lockdown

The United States on Monday moved closer to a nationwide lockdown — both government ordered and voluntary — as fear of spreading the coronavirus led state officials to order businesses to close, keeping millions of Americans at home.

The number of cases in the US was 4,000 on Monday and the number of deaths surged past 70, including the first deaths in Indiana, Nevada and South Carolina.

The San Francisco Bay area will join at least two states and Puerto Rico in declaring statewide shutdowns.

On Monday afternoon, officials in six Bay Area counties announced an order for all residents to "shelter in place" for the next three weeks. The shutdown will take effect at 12:01 am Tuesday in San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties and last until at least April 7.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States could last until July or August.

"People are talking about July, August, something like that … could be longer than that," Trump said one day after he said the virus was under control.

Trump also said he isn't planning a nationwide curfew, despite earlier reports that the administration may implement it.

At a news conference with members of the coronavirus task force, Trump also said that the US "may be" heading for a recession.

Stocks fell sharply after his comments. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped almost 13 percent, nearly 3,000 points; the S&P 500 was down 12 percent; and the Nasdaq Composite declined 12.3 percent, its biggest one-day loss ever.

Monday's plunge was one of the largest on record in terms of points lost. For the Dow, it was worse than the "Black Thursday" selloff of 10 percent last week, and second only to the 1987 "Black Monday" market crash.

Trump issued guidelines on Monday for Americans to follow over the next 15 days to help avoid spreading the coronavirus. The new guidelines call on Americans to avoid social gatherings involving groups of 10 or more.

The guidelines came less than 24 hours after the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) urged people to avoid gatherings of more than 50.

Trump and his coronavirus task force also recommended that states with evidence of community transmission of the virus should close schools, as well as bars, restaurants, gyms and other gathering spots.

"If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now," Trump said, "we will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus and we're going to have a big celebration all together."

State officials already had acted by Monday afternoon, ordering restaurants and bars to close in Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington state with the exception of takeout or delivery in some places.

None of the shutdowns in the continental US are as severe yet as measures Puerto Rico issued early Monday when the governor announced a total shutdown of the island. During the lockdown, residents may only leave their homes between 5 am and 9 pm for essential purposes such as grocery shopping and medical visits. Those who flout the lockdown order may be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 or six months in jail.

Hours earlier, in a conference call Monday afternoon with a group of the nation's governors, Trump told them that they shouldn't wait for the federal government to meet the growing demand for respirators for people with COVID-19.

"Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves," Trump told the governors during the conference call, a recording of which was shared with The New York Times. "We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself."

The suggestion reportedly surprised and even shocked some of the governors who are looking to the federal government for help.

Trump said the conference call "went very well", but he singled out New York Governor Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, saying he needed to "do more".

Cuomo shot back via Twitter: "I have to do more? No — YOU have to do something! You're supposed to be the President."

Trump also said on Monday that the federal government should support airlines "very strongly" amid the losses they are taking because of the coronavirus.

"We're going to back the airlines 100 percent," Trump told a news conference. "It's not their fault."

The trade group for most of the largest carriers, Airlines for America, on Monday requested $25 billion in grants for passenger airlines, $25 billion in loan guarantees, and tax relief for the first three months of the year.

Congress provided airlines with $5 billion in grants and $10 million in loan guarantees after the drop in travel after the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Vice-President Mike Pence said on Monday that he hasn't been tested for the virus, two days after the White House announced that Trump's test had come back negative.

Pence said that the White House physician advised that he didn't need to get tested because he hadn't had a long exposure to anyone who had been infected, and neither he nor his wife Karen Pence have symptoms.

And before Pence said that at a White House briefing of the coronavirus team he leads, Trump was asked if he and Pence are trying to stay separate to protect the chain of command in case one of them gets sick.

"We haven't thought about it, Trump said. "We're very careful. We're very careful with being together."

Trump said he had told one of his sons, who asked how bad the situation really is, that "It's bad, it's bad. But we are hopefully going to be a best case, not a worst case."