Pope Francis is helped to his feet as he celebrates Good Friday mass in St Peter's Basilica - Daily Mail

Pope Francis is helped to his feet as he celebrates Good Friday mass in St Peter's Basilica with no worshippers present due to coronavirus pandemic

• Pope Francis was helped to his feet as he celebrated Good Friday mass in St Peter's Basilica today
• There were no worshippers present as the Italian public stay indoors during the coronavirus lockdown
• Francis, 83, has tested negative twice for Covid-19 after fears that he might have contracted bug last month
• There are concerns for the Argentine-born Pontiff if he contracts the virus owing to previous health problems
• It comes as Italy recorded 570 coronavirus-related deaths today, down from 610, while the number of new cases slowed to 3,951 from 4,204 the day before, as hopes are raised that the pandemic is subsiding 

By Jack Wright For Mailonline

Published: 18:29 BST, 10 April 2020 | Updated: 19:24 BST, 10 April 2020

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Pope Francis was helped to his feet as he celebrated Good Friday Mass in St Peter's Basilica with no worshippers present as the Italian public obey strict lockdown rules triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State led the Good Friday Passion of the Lord with no public participation as millions of Italians remain in mass quarantine.

In a sign of humble obedience, he prostrated himself on the floor of the nearly empty St Peter's Basilica, where the papal preacher said the coronavirus has reminded people that they are mortal, not all-powerful.

As Francis listened attentively, the Rev Raniero Cantalamessa told a few prelates, choir members and about a score of other faithful that 'it took merely the smallest and most formless element of nature, a virus, to remind us that we are mortal' and that 'military power and technology are not sufficient to save us.'

Cantalamessa said the pandemic, which has killed nearly 19,000 people in Italy, should be a spur for people to appreciate what really matters in life: 'Let us not allow so much pain, so many deaths, and so much heroic engagement on the part of health workers to have been in vain. 

'Returning to the way things were is the "recession" we should fear the most,' he said.

The service is usually attended by cardinals, bishops and some 10,000 faithful. But coronavirus conditions meant it was attended by about two dozen people, including papal aides reading from scriptures and a small choir.

In another change from the usual ritual dictated by the coronavirus outbreak, only the Pope kissed a crucifix at the end of the service. Usually it is also kissed by every cardinal, archbishop and bishop in the church.  

Pope Francis was helped to his feet as he celebrated Good Friday mass in St Peter's Basilica with no worshippers present as the Italian public obey strict lockdown rules triggered by the coronavirus pandemic 

Francis tested negative for coronavirus, it was revealed on March 3, and is thought instead to have been suffering from a cold. The Pope also visits the Vatican Library to record messages for the world's 1.3 billion Catholics

The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State led the Good Friday Passion of the Lord with no public participation as millions of Italians stay at home over the weekend 

The WHO said over 1.6million people have been infected with the coronavirus, while the global death toll nears 100,000

Later, in an empty St. Peter's Square, Francis was set to preside over a nighttime procession to pay tribute to Jesus' suffering. Normally, thousands of pilgrims and Romans would have flocked to the Colosseum in Rome for a torch-lit Way of the Cross procession, presided over by Francis. 

But that was cancelled because of the pandemic and moved to the vast Vatican square instead. 

Cantalamessa said that when the pandemic is over, 'returning to the way things were is the 'recession' we should fear the most.' He said the virus broke down 'barriers and distinctions of race, nation, religion, wealth and power.'

During the basilica service, prayers were offered for those who contracted or succumbed to the virus, as well as health care personnel who cared for them. 

Francis has tested negative twice for Covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, after fears that the 83-year-old Pontiff might have contracted the disease intensified last month. 

He was allegedly swabbed at St Martha's guest house, which the Pope uses as his own resident. The building is also used by the Pop as a place to take meals and have private meetings. 

Francis has tested negative twice for Covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, after fears that the 83-year-old Pontiff might have contracted the disease intensified last month

He was allegedly swabbed at St Martha's guest house, which the Pope uses as his own resident. The building is also used by the Pop as a place to take meals and have private meetings

Francis has been largely secluded since coming down with a cold at the end of February. Fears were first raised for the pope's health on Ash Wednesday, when he fell ill with a cough, fever, chills and sore throat

There are concerns for the Argentine-born pope if he contracts the virus due to his age and previous health conditions. He lost part of his lung and suffered from sciatica, a nerve condition that causes pain in his hip 

Francis has been largely secluded since coming down with a cold at the end of February. Fears were first raised for the pope's health on Ash Wednesday, when he fell ill with a cough, fever, chills and sore throat.  

He tested negative for coronavirus, it was revealed on March 3, and is thought instead to have been suffering from a cold. The Pope also visits the Vatican Library to record messages for the world's 1.3 billion Catholics.   

There are concerns for the Argentine-born pope if he contracts the virus due to his age and previous health conditions. He lost part of his lung and suffered from sciatica, a nerve condition that causes pain in his hip. 

This week the Pontiff advised believers and non-believers to 'take the elderly and the young under their wing, that they take history under the wing, take the deprived under their wing' during the coronavirus crisis. 

He previously told an Italian newspaper that he had asked God to stop the ongoing pandemic, and told people to use their time in mass quarantine to reconnect with their families. 

Speaking to La Repubblica, he said he had asked God to stop the epidemic in Italy 'with his hand'.  

He continued: 'We must rediscover the concrete nature of small things, of making small gestures toward those around us - family, friends. They are gestures of tenderness, of affection, of compassion, which are nonetheless decisive and important - for example, a hot dish, a caress, a hug, a phone call.'

Carlo Maria Vigano listening to remarks at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual fall meeting in Baltimore in 2015 when he was Apostolic Nuncio to the US. He accused Pope Francis of covering up the sexual misconduct of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and rehabilitating him from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict XVI

Carlo Maria Vigano (right) and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke (left) at a 'National March for Life' against abortion and euthanasia in Rome in 2018. The march was attended by families, children, and many volunteers

It comes after an Italian archbishop who has represented the Vatican in the US and Europe called for a global exorcism prayed on Saturday to defeat the coronavirus pandemic. 

Carlo Maria Vigano told followers to recite an exorcism prayer to expel 'Satan' as the pandemic has sent millions into lockdown. He sent the message to the faithful to say the 'Exorcism against Satan and the apostate angels' psalm at home as mass gatherings including church services have been banned in much of Europe and the US.

First published by Pope Leo XIII in 1890, the prayer was written 'to curb the power of the devil and prevent him doing harm'.Vigano said that people should join together in the same prayer over Easter. 

In an article written for Catholic new outlet, Life Site, Vigano wrote that as Christians cannot visit confession, they should still continue 'praying to our Lord' against 'the Evil One'.

He said: 'In these modern times of terrible tribulation, when the pandemic has deprived Catholics of Holy Mass and the Sacraments, the Evil One has gone into a frenzy and multiplied his attacks to tempt souls into sin.

'These blessed days of Holy Week, which used to be the ideal time to go to Confession to prepare ourselves for our Easter Communion, now see us locked inside our houses, but they cannot stop us praying to Our Lord.' 

A doctor from the Bassini Hospital making a test tube for a Covid-19 test swab in Milan, amid the coronavirus lockdown

Vigano added that 'there is no need to go out, or to breach any of the laws currently in force' when praying against the devil. The archbishop also asked his fellow priests to join the prayer and to wear a stole. 

Meanwhile, Italy recorded 570 coronavirus-related deaths today, down from 610, while the number of new cases slowed to 3,951 from 4,204 the day before, as hopes are raised that the pandemic is subsiding. 

The latest tallies broadly confirm what some epidemiological experts describe as a plateau of new cases and deaths, which are no longer accelerating but are still not falling steeply.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on February 21 rose to 18,849, the Civil Protection Agency said. The number of confirmed cases climbed to 147,577, the third highest global tally behind the US and Spain.

There were 3,497 people in intensive care today against 3,605 on Thursday - a seventh consecutive daily decline. Of those originally infected, 30,455 were declared recovered against 28,470 a day earlier.

A doctor at a new coronavirus unit at Casal Palocco hospital near Rome checking on a patient suffering from the virus

Italian firefighters in Catania, Sicily, commemorate their colleague, firefighter Giuseppe Coco, who died with the coronavirus

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is preparing to extend Italy's lockdown until May 3. Italy's main newspapers said Mr Conte will publish a decree banning people from taking walks or lounging in parks.  

Daily rises in new infections have slowed dramatically in recent days and Italy is gradually approaching a point when the number of people officially suffering from Covid-19 might begin to drop. 

The Corriere della Serra newspaper reported today that PM Conte will bow to growing pressure and allow a tiny number of businesses to reopen when the existing restrictions expire on April 13. These reportedly include book and stationery stores as well as lumber companies and factories that make agricultural machinery. 

Mr Conte said in a televised address that the sacrifices being made 'were having results,' and that for this reason 'we can not render vain the efforts taken. If we give in, we risk that all the positive results could be lost. It would be a great frustration for all, and we would have to start again, also with an increase in the number of dead.'

The Government and scientists view these as businesses with the least amount of human interaction. Only grocery stores and pharmacies have been allowed to operate since a general lockdown began on March 12.

A mounted police patrol check the area around the the Colosseum, which is closed during the coronavirus emergency

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2020-04-10 18:53:03Z
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Global coronavirus death toll hits 100,000, cases over 1.6 million - Reuters

(Reuters) - The number of deaths linked to the novel coronavirus reached 100,000 on Friday, as the tally of cases passed 1.6 million, according to a Reuters tally.

FILE PHOTO: Healthcare workers transfer the body of a deceased person onto a stretcher at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, April 8. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The first death came in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 9. It took 83 days for the first 50,000 deaths to be recorded and just eight more for the toll to climb to 100,000.

The toll has been accelerating at a daily rate of between 6% and 10% over the past week, and there were almost 7,300 deaths globally reported on Thursday.

The death toll now compares with that of London’s Great Plague in the mid-1660s, which killed an estimated 100,000 people, about a third of the city’s population at the time.

But it is still far short of the so-called Spanish flu, which began in 1918 and is estimated to have killed more than 20 million people by the time it petered out in 1920.

The novel coronavirus is believed to have emerged in a Wuhan market where wild animals were sold late last year. It quickly spread through China and around the world.

Much remains to be determined about it, including just how lethal it is. Estimates vary widely.

Friday’s figures - 100,000 deaths of out 1.6 million cases - would suggest a fatality rate of 6.25% but many experts believe the actual rate is lower given that many mild and asymptomatic cases, when infected people don’t show symptoms, are not included in case totals.

Some countries, including Italy, France, Algeria, the Netherlands, Spain and Britain are reporting that more than 10% of all confirmed cases have been fatal.

One of the largest studies of the fatality of the disease, involving 44,000 patients in China, put the rate at about 2.9%.

The same study reported that 93% of recorded fatalities were people over the age of 50, and more than half were over 70.

Despite that, there are growing numbers of young adults and teenagers included in the global toll.

While North America now accounts for more than 30% of cases, Europe has reported a disproportionate number of fatalities, as countries with older populations like Spain and Italy have been severely affected.

Southern Europe alone accounts for more than a third of global deaths, despite recording just 20% of cases.

In many countries, official data includes only deaths reported in hospitals, not those in homes or nursing homes.

Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser

Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Robert Birsel and Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2020-04-10 17:40:27Z
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Yemen, Already Facing A Health Crisis, Confirms Its 1st Coronavirus Case - NPR

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Workers produce masks at a factory in Sanaa, Yemen, earlier this week. Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images hide caption

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Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

Yemen has recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus. Aid officials warn the impoverished country already devastated by five years of war will be unable to cope if the virus spreads.

"We are bracing for the worst," Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, told NPR on Friday.

Before the case was announced, Grande said in a phone interview from the Yemeni capital Sanaa that the country would be completely overwhelmed by the spread of the virus.

"I think we have to be very frank – that the health system will not be able to cope with it," she said. "We consider Yemen to be in a very high-risk situation."

The fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led military coalition supporting the country's internationally-recognized government has left the country in the Arabian Peninsula in ruins. According to UNICEF, there are two million severely malnourished children under the age of five. Aid officials say millions lack even soap and a steady water supply.

Save the Children says the country has only about 700 intensive care unit beds, including 60 for children, and 500 ventilators for a population of about 30 million.

Grande said authorities in both the north and south of the divided country had focused in recent weeks on trying to prevent the virus from arriving in Yemen by shutting down airports and borders and imposing travel restrictions within the country. Reuters reported the coronavirus patient in Hadramawt province was a port worker.

"We are struggling to get the equipment and the kind of resources and the kind of medicine we need," said Grande. "You are talking about a health system that is on its very last legs."

She said there are about 1,000 front-line health care workers who can be deployed to areas where the virus is suspected to be spreading, but the country has very few testing kits. Aid agencies are competing on the global market with foreign governments for scarce equipment and supplies. In addition, the global pandemic has sparked a rise in food prices. Yemen imports nearly of all its food and medicine.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says restrictions in Yemen aimed at stopping the virus from spreading have made it even more difficult for aid organizations to operate there.

"We've had a lot of access restrictions lately and a lot of red tape imposed by the authorities, which slows us down and prevents us from providing the support that people need," Sultana Begum, the NRC advocacy director, told NPR last week. "There are new restrictions being put in place, restrictions on movement, restrictions in road closures, restrictions on U.N. flights carrying aid workers coming in and out of the country."

The U.N. is also facing a funding crisis for Yemen — in part because last month the United States cut off tens of millions of dollars in aid to the country. U.S. officials have accused Houthi rebels of diverting aid.

"There are 41 major U.N. programs, and 31 of those programs will either be shut this month of April ... or reduced," Grande said. "We're talking about water and sanitation programs, health programs, shelter programs. ... We have the crisis created by the war, the crisis created by COVID and now we have a funding cliff."

The Saudi-military coalition said Thursday that it would observe a two-week cease-fire in Yemen. The U.N.-brokered move is aimed as a first step toward peace talks between the two sides.

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2020-04-10 16:56:45Z
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Boris Johnson 'able to do short walks' after moving out of ICU - CNN

"The Prime Minister has been able to do short walks, between periods of rest, as part of the care he is receiving to aid his recovery," the spokeman for 10 Downing Street said.

"He has spoken to his doctors and thanks the whole clinical team for the incredible care he has received.

"His thoughts are with those affected by this terrible disease."

Johnson, 55, is "just beginning his recovery" and "continues to be in very good spirits," his official spokesman said earlier Friday.

The spokesman said he waved his thanks to staff as he was taken from the ICU back to a ward at St Thomas' Hospital on Thursday evening.

Johnson remains in hospital and will be taking the advice from his medical team, the spokesman said, but there are no plans for him to go to the UK Prime Minister's countryside retreat, Chequers.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will continue to deputize for him.

Johnson's spokesman said Thursday that he would "receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery" but was "in extremely good spirits."

The Prime Minister spent three nights in intensive care and received "standard oxygen treatment," according to his spokesman, but did not require mechanical or invasive ventilation.

Johnson was taken to hospital on Sunday because he was displaying "persistent" coronavirus symptoms 10 days after testing positive. His condition deteriorated and he was taken into intensive care on Monday, causing a ripple of shock across the UK.

The seriousness of the Prime Minister's condition at a time of national emergency, combined with the lack of a formal succession procedure for heads of government in the UK, raised questions over who was leading the country.

Politicians from all over the world wished him a swift recovery, with US President Donald Trump sending his "best wishes to a very good friend of mine and a friend of our nation" at a news conference.

By Wednesday, Johnson's spokesman said he was "clinically stable and is responding to treatment."

Rishi Sunak, the UK's finance minister, said at the daily Downing Street press briefing Wednesday that Johnson was "sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team."

The Prime Minister's pregnant partner, Carrie Symonds, also experienced Covid-19 symptoms but said over the weekend she was "on the mend."

Symonds on Thursday night tweeted a picture of a rainbow and clapping hands emojis, to show her support for the UK's regular Thursday night applause for health workers.

The UK is due to review its lockdown next week, but restrictions are unlikely to be relaxed in the near future, with Johnson's spokesman saying the government's advisers would decide when the peak has passed.

The nation is beginning to see a plateau in coronavirus cases, but it is still too early to be clear about lifting social distancing restrictions, NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said on Friday.

Speaking to Sky News from South London, Powis said: "We're hopeful we're beginning to see a plateau. But we need to keep complying with instructions. That's the way the plateau will turn into a drop."

CNN's Lauren Kent contributed reporting.

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2020-04-10 16:12:55Z
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Yemen confirms first coronavirus case, braces for outbreak - Al Jazeera English

Yemen has reported its first coronavirus case in a southern province, raising fears of catastrophic consequences in a healthcare system broken by five years of war.

"The first confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported in Hadramout province," Yemen's supreme national emergency committee for COVID-19 said on Twitter on Friday.

More:

The committee, run by the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, said the infected patient was in stable condition and receiving care.

"The case is in isolation and treatment, all known contacts are being traced and quarantined," the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Twitter.    

"WHO is working closely with [the health ministry] to ensure further rapid containment measures are taken."

Hadramout province has seen some of the worst pockets of malnutrition and disease in the war-torn country.

Control of the large southern province has long been divided. Government forces backed by a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition control the coastal towns, but parts of the interior remain in the hands of al-Qaeda fighters.

The committee said medical teams and concerned authorities had taken all necessary precautions and promised to release further details on the coronavirus case later on Friday.

The patient was a Yemeni working in the port of al-Shihr, a local official told Reuters news agency.

Crippled healthcare system

Following years of war, Yemen already faces what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

Aid groups have warned that a major outbreak will be "disastrous" and devastate the country's gutted healthcare system.

Repeated coalition bombings have destroyed or closed more than half of Yemen's health facilities. Deep poverty, severe water shortages and a lack of adequate sanitation have made the country a breeding ground for disease.

"We're seeing some of the most richest nations, with their most advanced health systems, unable to cope with this pandemic,"Sultana Begum, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Al Jazeera.

"In Yemen, you have millions of people who are hungry, young children who are malnourished, people with life threatening health conditions … In this kind of environment, this pandemic will be deadly," she warned.

'Frightening'

Yemen has been mired in violence since the Houthi rebels overthrew the government in late 2014, prompting the Saudi-UAE-led coalition to intervene in support of Hadi's government. The five-year-old conflict has killed more than 100,000 and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

The coalition announced on Thursday it would halt military operations for two weeks. But a Houthi spokesman said they will not stop fighting while the country is under siege.

"We will continue to fight and target their military installations and industrial sites since they continue with the siege. So we don't consider it to be a ceasefire," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi spokesman, told Al Jazeera on Thursday.

If the virus spreads in Yemen, the impact would be "catastrophic" as the health status of at least half the population is "very degraded" and the country does not have sufficient supplies, capabilities or facilities, said UN humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande.

In a statement, Grande said that people across the country "have some of the lowest levels of immunity and highest levels of acute vulnerability in the world".

"What's facing Yemen is frightening. More people who become infected are likely to become severely ill than anywhere else," she warned.

"It's time for the parties to stop fighting each other and start fighting COVID together."

Saudi Arabia is also scrambling to limit the spread of the disease at home. Its health ministry has reported more than 3,200 coronavirus infections and 44 deaths from the illness.

There are more than 134,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Middle East, including over 5,300 fatalities. Some 4,100 of those deaths are in Iran, which has the largest outbreak in the region. Authorities there have recorded more than 66,000 total cases.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2020-04-10 14:54:35Z
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Europe has a rescue package. But who's going to pay for its coronavirus recovery? - CNN

The deal was announced Thursday after weeks of back and forth over how to address the crisis, a bruising process that exposed deep divisions and led Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to warn that a failure to act would mean "the end of Europe."

The stimulus package includes up to €100 billion ($110 billion) in wage subsidies aimed at preventing mass layoffs, as well as hundreds of billions in loans to businesses and credit for EU governments. The finance ministers also pledged to work on a recovery fund that will help the region bounce back from what promises to be a historic recession.

Yet little progress was made on how to finance the response.

Nine of the countries that use the euro, including Italy and France, had called for the European Union to issue debt, dubbed corona bonds, to raise long-term finance for all member states to help repair the damage wrought by the pandemic.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, backed by the leaders of Austria and the Netherlands, have said no. They have long opposed the issuance of debt at the EU level for fear that it would effectively mean their taxpayers are underwriting spending by poorer member states.

Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group, wrote in a research note on Friday that the agreement reached by the finance ministers punts on this key issue, leaving it to be addressed in future negotiations when leaders "are confronted with a devastated economy and the need to rebuild."

Analysts at Berenberg Bank said that how the European Union responds to the crisis will have major implication for the future of the bloc. The stakes, they argued, are even higher than during the eurozone debt crisis in 2011 and 2012.

"A perceived lack of solidarity in the worst peacetime crisis in living memory could be dynamite for the longer-term cohesion of the eurozone and the European Union," they wrote after the deal was announced.

Europe has already taken some other measures to protect workers and business. EU limits on budget deficits have been relaxed to allow member countries to borrow more, and the European Central Bank has also pumped hundreds of billions into markets to prevent the shock from triggering a new financial crisis.

Yet economists still expect Europe to fall into a steep recession.

Germany's top economic research institutes said earlier this week that Europe's biggest economy is likely to shrink by 4.2% this year. It expects a contraction of 9.8% in the current quarter, compared to the previous three months, which would be the sharpest decline since record-keeping began in 1970 and more than twice as steep as the most damaging quarter during the global financial crisis.

France's central bank has estimated the country's first quarter GDP shrunk 6% from the previous three months. The central bank said the last contraction of a similar magnitude came in the second quarter of 1968, when weeks of civil unrest, demonstrations and general strikes sharply curtailed economic output.

Evidence of a severe recession in Germany and France is bad news for other European countries such as Italy and Spain. They have been hit harder by the pandemic, and their economies are taking an even bigger hit.

The Berenberg analysts said the deal announced Thursday is a "major step forward." But they said EU leaders must now move quickly to approve a "substantial and impressive" joint recovery fund.

"In a good case scenario, the memory of how this compromise was forged will fade and citizens across the European Union will remember that countries did help each other substantially in the end," they wrote. "In a bad case scenario, the perception of slow — or insufficient — solidarity could ... undermine the political foundations of the European project."

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2020-04-10 12:42:56Z
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Coronavirus live updates: 'Virus decides' when to reopen US, Fauci says; No travel for Good Friday, Easter; Deaths surpass 16,000 - USA TODAY

Jessica Flores USA TODAY

Published 7:29 AM EDT Apr 10, 2020

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday he would "want to see a clear indication" that the U.S. is "very clearly and strongly going in the right direction," before reopening the country.

"The virus kind of decides whether or not it's going to be appropriate to open," he said on CNN, warning that the country could "prematurely" end social distancing measures and then "you're right back in the same situation." 

President Donald Trump on Thursday, though, said at a press briefing, "hopefully we're going to be opening up – you can call it 'opening' – very, very, very, very soon, I hope."

"We're at the top of the hill, pretty sure we're at the top of the hill," Trump added.

Fauci said Friday that the curve of new cases appear to be flattening as hospitalizations and patients on ventilators in New York were down: "We're going in the right direction, let's keep in that direction."

Elsewhere, travelers were being cautioned to stay home around the world to mark the traditions of Good Friday and the Easter weekend. Eagerly awaited stimulus checks should soon be hitting Americans' bank accounts. And UK leader Boris Johnson, out of intensive care, has his father worried but filled with "relief."

The U.S. death toll was at more than 16,600 early Friday, with more than 466,000 confirmed cases as of Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard. About 26,000 Americans have recovered.

Our live blog is being updated throughout the day. Refresh for the latest news, and get updates in your inbox with The Daily Briefing. More headlines:

• Leaders, be honest about what you know — and don't know. Transparency builds trust. Read The Backstory from USA TODAY editor Nicole Carroll. 
• The CDC wants you to wear a mask in public. Why? Because the coronavirus might spread much farther than 6 feet through the air.
• Are coronavirus patients dying alone in hospitals? Yes, in some places.
• The US has a shortage of face masks amid coronavirus pandemic. A USA TODAY investigation shows why.
• Coronavirus interrupted our lives. Now it's invading our dreams, too.
• These 20 retailers are giving back amid coronavirus crisis: Here's the list.

Stimulus checks: When will we see them?

Americans have received conflicting information on when they will receive stimulus checks due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. But there’s good news: Checks will be hitting their bank accounts soon. 

The first wave of $1,200 stimulus payments is on track to be paid the week of April 13, according to Lisa Greene-Lewis, a certified public accountant at TurboTax. The government is prioritizing the first few waves of payments in the coming weeks toward low-income Americans and Social Security beneficiaries, Greene-Lewis says.

Some Americans were confused following conflicting reports from different corners of the government in recent weeks. The IRS said at the end of March stimulus payments would start being distributed within three weeks. 

Then Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on April 2 the first stimulus payments would arrive for some via direct deposit within two weeks. Larry Kudlow, senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump, then said this week that checks could go out this week or next. Others have said they could have come as early as April 9.

The IRS didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

– Jessica Menton

Good Friday, Easter weekend: Celebrate at home

People around the world began observing Good Friday from the safety of their homes as politicians and public health officials have warned that the hard-won gains against the pandemic must not be jeopardized by relaxing social distancing over the Easter holiday weekend. Across Europe, where Easter is one of the busiest travel times, authorities set up roadblocks and otherwise discouraged family gatherings.

Amid widespread restrictions on public gatherings, major religious denominations are holding virtual services where members can watch on TV or online. Others are arranging prayer at drive-in theaters, where people can stay in their cars.

Other churches plan to move ahead with services, especially in states like Texas, where the governor declared religious gatherings “essential services.” A Houston church has installed hand-washing stations and rearranged its 1,000-person sanctuary to hold about 100 people spaced 6 feet (2 meters) or more apart.

Pope Francis will celebrate Easter Mass in a nearly empty St. Peter’s Basilica instead of the huge square outside. In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury will deliver his Easter sermon by video.

– Associated Press

New York state sees deadliest day

New York state reported a record-breaking number of deaths for a third straight day, at 799. More than 7,000 people have died in the state, accounting for almost half the U.S. death toll.

“That is so shocking and painful and breathtaking, I don’t even have the words for it,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday

.But he added that there are hopeful signs, including slowdowns in the number of people being hospitalized, admitted to intensive care and placed on ventilators.

Boris Johnson's dad says his son needs time to 'rest up' from the coronavirus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson must be allowed to "rest up" before getting back to work after he was moved out of intensive care to a regular hospital ward, the British leader's father said in an interview on Friday. 

Johnson's 79-year-old father, Stanley, said he felt "tremendously grateful" for his son's improving condition.

"Relief is the right word," he said in a BBC radio interview. But he warned that his son needed a period of recuperation before returning to work. 

"He has to take time. I cannot believe you can walk away from this and get straight back to Downing Street and pick up the reins without a period of readjustment," he said. 

Johnson is the first major world leader known to have contracted the coronavirus. In a series of video messages he published on social media before he was admitted to the hospital with the illness, Johnson appeared increasingly unwell as he carried on the work of government in isolation at his official residence and office at Downing Street. 

– Kim Hjelmgaard

Magic Johnson talks HIV, coronavirus misconceptions and impact on black community

"The reason I’m still living is early detection," retired NBA player Magic Johnson said Thursday on CNN. "I had a test and I had a physical. It came up that I had HIV, and that saved my life."

Johnson still drew parallels between HIV and COVID-19 because of the similarities regarding the misconceptions about the respective viruses, inadequate testing, lack of available drugs and how the pandemic has hurt the black community.

"African Americans are leading in terms of dying from the coronavirus and most of them in the hospital are African American,” Johnson said. "We have to do a better job as African Americans to follow social distancing, stay at home and make sure we educate our loved ones and our family members and do what we’re supposed to do to keep safe and healthy.

"Then when you add that up, we don’t have access to health care, quality health care. So many of us are uninsured. That also creates a problem, too. Just like it did with HIV and AIDS." Read more here.

– Mark Medina

Utah tourism takes hit with closure of last of 'Big Five' national parks

The last of Utah’s “Big Five” national parks closed Thursday, effectively shutting down a tourism industry that pumped a record $9.75 billion into the state’s economy in 2018.

Gov. Gary Herbert announced Capitol Reef National Park’s closure, two days after Bryce Canyon National park closed and less than a week after the closure of Zion National Park. Arches and Canyonlands national parks closed March 27.

A report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah last November showed a 6.5% increase in tourism spending over 2017, pushing revenues close to $10 billion, and record visitation of more than 10 million people at the national parks.

The decision to close national parks have been left up to individual parks, according to the National Park Service.

– Lexi Peery, The Spectrum & Daily News (St. George, Utah)

Democrats block $250B for small businesses, cite needs of hospitals

An effort by Senate Republicans to replenish an emergency fund for small businesses hurt by the coronavirus crisis was blocked by Democrats, who called it a "political stunt" that failed to consider hospitals and other pressing needs. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had proposed legislation boosting the popular Paycheck Protection Program by another $250 billion on top of the $349 billion Congress approved last month as part of the $2.2 trillion pandemic response known as the CARES act.

But when it came up Thursday on a voice vote, Maryland Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen objected, effectively blocking it. The bill "was not negotiated so it won’t get done," Cardin said.

Studies suggest coronavirus spread in New York came from Europe

The coronavirus began spreading in New York in February and came to the area via travelers from Europe, new research suggests. Two separate teams of scientists studying the genetics of the virus came to similar conclusions: People were spreading the virus weeks before the first confirmed case in New York.

"We know with certainty that these were coming from European strains," Adriana Heguy, director of the Genome Technology Center at NYU Langone Health, told USA TODAY.

The first case of the new coronavirus confirmed in New York came on March 1. On Jan. 31, President Donald Trump said he would restrict entry to the United States from those traveling from China. On March 11, Trump said he was restricting travel from Europe.

– Ryan W. Miller

More coronavirus news and information from USA TODAY

• Your coronavirus money questions, answered: Can I get aid if my salary was cut? Should I withdraw money from my 401(k)?Your guide for COVID-19: What you need to know about safety, health and travel.
• Is pink eye a symptom of coronavirus? We checked the facts, and it's true.
• You're not 'too busy' to stay active: Health experts warn against inactivity.
• Mapping coronavirus: Tracking the U.S. outbreak, state by state.
• Coronavirus in America: We're all in this together.

IMF chief warns of worst global recession since Depression

The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday the coronavirus pandemic will push the global economy into the deepest recession since the Great Depression, and the poorest countries will fare the worst. That marks a dramatic turnaround to what was on track to be a year of economic growth.

Three months ago, the IMF projected income growth per capita for 160 countries. Now the organization expects more than 170 nations will see per capita income diminish. Emerging markets and low-income nations across Africa, Latin America and much of Asia are at high risk, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

“With weak health systems to begin with, many face the dreadful challenge of fighting the virus in densely populated cities and poverty-stricken slums, where social distancing is hardly an option,” Georgieva said.

African countries have sounded the alarm about a lack of access to medical equipment that may leave them vulnerable to the virus.

Dozens of American Airlines flight crew members test positive for coronavirus

The unions that represent commercial pilots and flight attendants say dozens of them who work for American Airlines have tested positive for the coronavirus, and they need better protection.

One hundred of the airline's flight attendants had COVID-19 as of Saturday, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said. In a statement, Julie Hendrick, AFPA's new president, said the union has been pushing American since January for protective measures for front-line workers.

On Thursday, Capt. Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the union that represents American Airlines pilots, told USA TODAY that 41 of them have tested positive for the virus.

Because flight crews could be vectors for the virus, Tajer said they should "receive 'first responder' status and priority for protective equipment.''

–  Rasha Ali and Jayme Deerwester

More coronavirus news from USA TODAY

• Eight states — all with Republican governors — haven't issued stay-at-home orders. Here's why.
• A side of toilet paper to go? Some restaurants are serving up more than meals amid coronavirus outbreak.
• A 101-year-old British man was infected with coronavirus. He fought it for two weeks — and won.
• A bridge between life and death: Most COVID-19 patients who are put on ventilators will not survive.
• Is coronavirus spreading 'quickly' on gas pumps? Here are the facts.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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2020-04-10 11:26:15Z
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