This live blog has ended. Follow the latest coronavirus updates here.
As coronavirus continues to cripple businesses across the nation, President Trump signed into law a relief package passed by the House last week and approved by the Senate earlier Wednesday. The bill provides free testing, expanded funding for food security programs and paid sick, family and medical leave for workers at companies with 500 employees or fewer.
The White House is also solidifying plans for a third phase of the response, which would include two rounds of direct cash payments to taxpayers.
On Wall Street, stocks took a nosedive Wednesday and wiped out roughly three years of gains, with the Dow closing below 20,000 for the first time since 2017. There are now more than 7,000 confirmed cases in the U.S., and at least 141 people have died.
“Stay at home as much as possible, limit the spread,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Tuesday, reiterating the Trump administration’s appeal for Americans to avoid unnecessary travel and large gatherings. “We do not want to look like Italy does two weeks from now.”
In Italy, which has faced the most cases and deaths outside of China, 475 people died in the last 24 hours alone. Hospitals, doctors and nurses have been pushed beyond capacity. Globally, there are more than 214,000 cases of the virus and at least 8,700 deaths.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for detailed information on coronavirus treatment and prevention.
