Corona Virus Update March 17, 2020- Coronavirus updates: Americans told to hunker down as death toll

1. The world is swallowing the bitter pill prescribed to fight the coronavirus. Businesses are shutting their doors, schools are closing, and governments are urging – in some cases ordering – weary citizens to hole up at home.In response to the massive disruptions to daily life, President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced they're working on a "big" and "bold" legislative package to address the coronavirus crisis, as the president put it. That includes "looking at sending checks to Americans immediately," Mnuchin said Tuesday.Mnuchin said the goal would be to get checks to Americans in two weeks to help workers cope with the economic effects of the crisis. The president wouldn't say exactly how much those checks might be — Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Mitt Romney have suggested $1,000 per adult."We're going big," the president told reporters Tuesday.Mnuchin announced that Americans who owe a payment to the IRS can defer up to $1 million per individual and up to $10 million per corporation.The president has asked all Americans to limit contact with others for 15 days, and he's admitted the unprecedented measures being taken around the country could sink the United States into a recession.New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday afternoon that New Yorkers should be "prepared" for the possibility of a shelter in place order, and that a decision should be made in the "next 48 hours."

   
   A health professional walks out of a drive through coronavirus testing site at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio on March 17, 2020.MEGAN JELINGER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has killed at least 100 of the more than 5,200 people who have diagnosed with it in the United States. Globally, the death toll is over 7,500, with the most aggressive outbreaks still spreading in Europe and Iran.Italy announced new figures Tuesday that show it has one-third of the world's total deaths from the virus.Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for detailed information on coronavirus treatment and prevention.

3. 11M AGOUN suspending most refugee resettlement The United Nations announced Tuesday that it will be suspending most refugee resettlement processes in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. In a press release, the organization wrote that travel restrictions were making resettlement precarious for refugees."Refugee families are being directly impacted by these quickly evolving regulations in the course of their travel, with some experiencing extensive delays while others have been stranded or separated from family members," the UN said. "In addition, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and IOM, the International Organization for Migration, are concerned that international travel could increase the exposure of refugees to the virus"The organization stressed that the suspension is temporary and that it will work "to ensure that movements can continue for the most critical emergency cases wherever possible." It said the suspension will begin in a few days. BY VICTORIA ALBERT LINK COPIED 13M AGOLatest numbers in the U.S. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least 100 people have died of the coronavirus in the U.S., and there are at least 5,200 cases in the country. Here's the breakdown of the U.S. death toll:50 - Washington  12 - New York  11- California 6 - Florida 4- Louisiana 3- New Jersey 2- Virginia 2- Indiana 1- Illinois 1- Texas  1- Nevada  1 - Kansas 1 – South Dakota 1 – Georgia   1 – Colorado 1 - Oregon 1 - Kentucky  1 - South Carolina European Union agrees to close external borders for 30 days The leaders of European Union nations have agreed to institute a travel ban that prohibits most foreigners from entering the bloc for 30 days to discourage the spread of the new coronavirus. EU leaders agreed on Tuesday to shut down the 27-nation's bloc's external borders immediately.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the proposal by EU officials "got a lot of support by the member states. It's up to them now to implement. They said they will immediately do that." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said late Tuesday that European leaders agreed in a conference call to the Commission's proposal for an entry ban with "very, very limited exceptions."Merkel said citizens of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the United Kingdom and Norway are exempt. The EU leaders also agreed to coordinate the repatriation of EU citizens stranded outside the bloc, she said.—The Associated Press LINK COPIED 43M AGO4 Brooklyn Nets players