Mar 11, 2020 - Health

Italy tightens coronavirus shutdown, closes all businesses except pharmacies and grocers

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Photo: Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday that the country's retailers and businesses, other than pharmacies and grocers that sell "essential items," will close as the country responds to the novel coronavirus, AP reports.

Why it matters: It's the most extreme measure any nation other than China has taken to stem the rapidly spreading virus. With more than 12,000 cases and 827 deaths, Italy has had the worst outbreak outside of China. On Monday, Conte announced that the government extended internal travel restrictions to the entire country through April 3.

Go deeper... Coronavirus updates: WHO classifies COVID-19 as pandemic

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Axios

World coronavirus updates: World Bank warns economic pain unavoidable

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

The novel coronavirus has caused a "global shock" and significant economic pain "seems unavoidable in all countries," the World Bank said in an economic update for
East Asia and the Pacific on Monday.

The big picture: COVID-19 cases surged past 786,000 and the death toll exceeded 37,800 early Tuesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Italy reported more than 11,500 deaths.

Go deeperUpdated 11 hours ago - Health

Jacob Knutson

Boris Johnson: Coronavirus outbreak in U.K. is only weeks behind Italy

Photo: Julian Simmonds/WPA Pool/Getty Images

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Sunday that a surge of coronavirus cases over the next two weeks could cripple the country's National Health Service (NHS), Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Johnson said the U.K., in terms of cases, is only "a matter of weeks — two or three — behind Italy," which overtook China last week as the country with the most reported deaths from the virus.

Go deeperMar 22, 2020 - World

Orion Rummler

U.S. coronavirus deaths top 2,000

Nurses at Penn State Health St. Joseph conduct drive-thru coronavirus testing on March 27. Photo: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

More than 2,000 people have died from the novel coronavirus in the U.S. as of Saturday, per data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Why it matters: Recorded deaths in the U.S. surpassed 1,000 two days ago. The U.S. has the most COVID-19 cases in the world, exceeding China and Italy.

Go deeper: Trump weighs quarantine of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut

Keep ReadingMar 28, 2020 - Health