WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the coronavirus task force are expected to provide an update on the White House’s response to the pandemic during a press briefing at about 1 p.m. ET. Saturday.
As of Saturday morning, more than 19,900 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the United States, with at least 275 deaths associated with the virus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Over half of the states in the country and Washington D.C. have now reported at least one death from the respiratory illness.
A growing number of states are issuing some form of state-at-home order to help stop the spread of the virus, including California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois.
The U.S. has also closed its borders to nonessential travelers from Canada and Mexico starting at midnight on Saturday.
This weekend, the Senate plans to work on an economic stabilization package that is expected to cost more than $1 trillion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing direct payments of $1,200 per person and $2,400 for couples amid the pandemic. Some Democrats say that’s not enough.
McConnell has begun clearing procedural hurdles in order to vote on the Senate package on Monday.
Worldwide, Johns Hopkins says more than 280,000 cases have been confirmed, with at least 11,800 deaths. This week, Italy surpassed China in the most deaths from COVID-19.
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