That’s it for this blog for today. We’ve launched a new one at the link below, where I’ll be keeping you p to date with the latest major developments for the next few hours. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unsettled the future feels, we will remain with you. We hope to help all of us make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Make a contribution - The Guardian In Panama, the Guardian’s Patrick Greenfield reports that authorities have announced 32 new Covid-19 cases and another fatality, bringing the Central American country’s today to 345 cases overall and six deaths. From Tuesday, a nationwide curfew will be lengthened by four hours to 5pm until 5am to suppress the spread of the virus. The previous curfew measures started at 9pm. Summary The White House Correspondents Association said one of its members is suspected of having Covid-19, something that could put Donald Trump’s daily press briefings at risk - or at least raise the possibility of them being done remotely. Donald Trump asked the country not to blame Asian Americans. Reiterating a Tweet of his from earlier in the day, Trump at a White House press briefing said: “It’s very important that we protect our Asian American community in the US and all around the world. They’re amazing people and the spreading of the virus is not their fault in any way, shape or form.” Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, has appealed for an immediate global ceasefire, calling on an end to all armed conflicts so that the world can instead focus on fighting Coronavirus. The UK was placed under lockdown. Boris Johnson will order police to enforce a strict coronavirus lockdown, with a ban on gatherings of more than two people and strict limits on exercise, as he told the British public: “You must stay at home.” Japan’s government is negotiating with the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games by a maximum one year, the Sankei newspaper reported on Tuesday. Global recoveries passed 100,000 but the pandemic ‘is accelerating’. The World Heath Organization said it had taken 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and only four for the third 100,000 cases. UK deaths reach 335 and Britons abroad told to come home. The Foreign Office urged as many as a million Britons on holiday or business trips abroad to return to the UK immediately. Italy registered a smaller day-to-day increase in new coronavirus cases for the second day. The death toll from the outbreak grew by 602 to 6,078, the head of the Civil Protection Agency said. While that is an 11% increase, it is the smallest nominal rise since last Thursday. The first UK clinical trial enrolled patients. Researchers from the University of Oxford launched a clinical trial to test the effects of potential drug treatments for patients admitted to hospital with the virus. There are currently no specific treatments for the coronavirus, but it is possible that existing drugs used for other conditions may have some benefits. New York state confirmed 20,000 infections. The governor, Andrew Cuomo, said the state had 5,707 new cases, meaning it has confirmed 20,875 in total. Panama confirmed the death one of the youngest victims of the virus, a 13-year-old girl. Medical experts have been trying to drum home the warning that, while older people and those with underlying conditions are at greater risk, they are not the only ones who need to take precautionary measures. Denmark extended its lockdown. The nationwide restrictions will now last until 13 April. Russia may be forced to put off a public vote on amendments allowing Vladimir Putin to hold office until 2036. The Kremlin has not rescheduled the 22 April vote, but the prospect was explicitly acknowledged by Putin’s spokesman. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his beard have taken to Twitter to remind people to stay home. Back to the White House now, where Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is absent. My colleague David Smith is in the White House briefing room, and just asked President Trump, “Where is Dr. Fauci?” Dr Fauci has become a trusted public figure during the coronavirus crisis, sometimes speaking alongside the president. He did not appear at today’s briefing. “I was just with him,” Trump said, explaining that Fauci was “at a task force meeting.” David Smith asked Trump if Fauci agreed with him about the need to re-start the economy. d“He doesn’t not agree,” Trump said. “He understands there’s a tremendous cost to our country.” The Tokyo 2020 Olympic games look increasingly like they will become Tokyo 2021. But – perhaps in an effort to provide those under lockdown with consolation prize edge-of-their-sofa entertainment – there is still no official announcement from Japan or the International Olympic Committee. What we are hearing is that Japan’s government is negotiating with the IOC to postpone the games by a maximum one year – as reported in the Sankei newspaper on Tuesday. In Australia now, where the market opened up about 2% on Tuesday morning despite a raft of companies revealing the damage the coronavirus pandemic was doing to their operations and falls overseas overnight. Mining giant Rio Tinto said it was cutting production in South Africa and Canada due to the outbreak. Broadcaster Seven West Media withdrew n its profit forecasts, citing a fall in ads and the postponement of the Olympics. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which was formed from the merger of the Australian Westfield group with France’s Unibail-Rodamco and owns shopping centres across Europe and the US, will cancel its final dividend this year but is pressing ahead with an interim one, due to be paid on Thursday. Shaver Shop has cancelled its dividend. Many of the companies worst affected by the pandemic, including travel agency Flight Centre and online flight sales site Webjet, are suspended from trade. We’re moving away from that press conference now with an update from California from the Guardian’s Mario Koran: Speaking at an afternoon press conference governor Gavin Newsom updated Californians on where the situation stands with available hospital beds and hotel rooms for the state’s unhoused. Here’s snapshot of the state’s preparedness, by the numbers, according to Newom: Rooms and hospital beds: 108,000: the number of unhoused in California who need shelter 51,000: the number of hotel rooms Newsom plans to provide for the unhoused 416: Hospitals in California 78,000: Hospital beds that typically exist in the state. 19,500: The number of beds that the state will have to have to meet demand due to coronavirus. 1,000: Number of beds at skilled nursing facilities Newsom is looking to add to assist the elderly Unemployment claims: 2,000: Unemployment claims California sees in a typical day 40,000: Unemployment claims California saw a week ago Monday 140,000: Unemployment claims the state saw yesterday (meaning it may take additional time to issue payments). Dr Deborah Birx says “Understand the way you get to [infection rates of 60%, for example] is you do nothing. They’re talking about three cycles.” The three cycles are over three years - infections each season in 2020, 2021 etc. “The reason we’re so much focussed on blunting the curve on this piece is that when the virus comes back we’ll be much better prepared.” Asked when antibody tests will be rolled out, Dr Deborah Birx says she thinks “we’re still a couple of weeks out.” Asked how confident she is for the start dates for infection curves for each area, Dr Deborah Birx says: If you look at the pandemic flu preparedness. All of this was built on the flu platform. It was never thought that you’d have a simultaneous respiratory disease hitting at the same time. ‘Uh-oh’ A bizarre moment of comedy came earlier in this press conference. “Saturday, I had a little low-grade fever,” Dr. Deborah Birx said. “Uh-oh,” President Trump says, and backs away from the podium. (She said she got a test and tested negative, and the president eventually moved back.) Trump: A bad economy causes deaths too, because of suicide Trump has repeatedly suggested that a damaged American economy could create “more death” than potential deaths from the coronavirus. “People get tremendous anxiety and depression and you have suicide over things like this, when you have a terrible economy, you have death, definitely would be in far greater numbers than we’re talking about with regard to the virus,” Trump said. “We have a double obligation. We have a great country, there’s no country like it in the world, and there’s no economy like it in the world.” Hi, Helen Sullivan here. Still with this Trump presser for now. Asked about his comments regarding not blaming Asian-Americans, Trump says: “It seems there could have been a bit of nasty language towards the Asian Americans in our country.” Trump: ‘We’ll see what happens’ Major theme of this press conference: Trump wants to get the American economy going again as soon as possible, and is not open to the idea of restrictive public health measures going on for months. Asked what he would do if, a week from now, public health experts asked him to extend public health restrictions, Trump said, “We’ll see what happens.” Later, Trump said that very soon “we’re going to be opening up our country.” Asked by a reporter if that meant “weeks or months,” Trump s aid, “I’m not looking at months, I can tell you right now.”