As it happened: Coronavirus deaths pass 20,000

President Trump keeps reiterating that people need to get back to work, or the economy will suffer. However, he appears to have softened his stance slightly, compared to Tuesday, when he said: "We're going to be opening relatively soon... I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter."

Now, he says he hopes to have a recommendation on next steps by Easter, adding "it could be sections of our country" that go back to work, as "there are big sections of our country that are little affected". He says some of those going back to work could still practise "social distancing and no hand shaking - they're going to wash their hands more than they've ever done".

"The longer we stay out, the harder it is" to improve the economy, he adds.

The number of coronavirus cases confirmed across the US does vary greatly from state to state - from over 30,000 in New York, to about 30 in North Dakota.

You can see how it is spread in our visual guide here.

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The economy is very much on Mr Trump's mind.

He says that "certain people" would like the US "not to open so quickly - would like it to do financially poorly, because they think that would do well at defeating me at the polls."

He tells a reporter: "There are people in your profession that would like that to happen... there are people in your profession that write fake news."

He adds: "We've done one hell of a job - nobody's done the job we've done."

Mr Trump regularly emphasises the importance of the economy - and attacks the media - in a way that appeals to his base. His re-election campaign is built around the claim that he has presided over record economic growth and low unemployment.

You can read more about why Mr Trump wants stay-at-home orders lifted here, and read about what the crisis reveals about the US, and its president, here.

President Trump is now taking questions from reporters. Asked about his comments that the US should not rely on other countries, Mr Trump takes a swipe at the European Union (EU).

"We make the best medical equipment in the world… but they have specifications, designed specifically so that our equipment can't come into their countries," he says.

The EU has its own safety and specification standards for a variety of products - and the US does not meet all of them.

"They're all playing games against us OK? They've been playing games against us for years... Some of the people who took the biggest advantage of us? Our allies. They took advantage – financially but even militarily as well."

Mr Trump has long argued that Nato allies should contribute more financially to the alliance, and that other countries should shoulder more of the burden.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has thanked politicians on both sides for their "bipartisan work" on the relief bill.

Earlier, President Trump urged Congress to pass the stimulus bill quickly, saying he would "sign it immediately" once it reached his desk.

President Trump has been keen to stress that the US is "now doing more testing than anybody by far", including South Korea. Numerically this is true - but as our Reality Check team has found, this doesn't take into account the fact the US population is much larger.

Mr Trump said that the emergency relief package going through the Senate would include "$350bn [£295bn] in job retention loans for small businesses" and "funding for development of vaccines".

The economy is also on Mr Trump's mind - he said the economy would take off "like a rocket ship" once the situation got better, adding: "I don't think it's going to be such a rough patch... we're going to open - the sooner the better."

He said the governor of New York was happy with the support from the federal government, adding: "It's hard not to be happy with the job we're doing."

So far, President Trump has reiterated the importance of social distancing and listed a number of things the government has done, including:

• Approving "major disaster" declarations for New York, California, Washington state, Iowa, Louisiana, Texas and Florida
• "Building numerous hospitals and medical centres" to help New York state. He adds: "There are lots of good capable people working with us - our people are working with state representatives"
• Calling Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and congratulating him "on a wise choice" on delaying the Olympics by a year.

He says Congress is "close to passing" the emergency relief bill.

The coronavirus task force in the US is giving a press briefing. President Donald Trump is speaking now. We'll bring you more updates shortly.

France is withdrawing its contingent of almost 200 soldiers from Iraq because of the pandemic that has caused 27 deaths there. Iraq's president has said the medical infrastructure is not up to required standards.

In a statement the French military said the US-led coalition had "decided to adjust its deployments". The French contingent is involved in training Iraqi soldiers and working at coalition headquarters in Baghdad.

Covid Symptom TrackerCopyright: Covid Symptom Tracker

An app tracking the symptoms of coronavirus has become one of the UK's most popular downloads, with creators hoping to deliver insights into why some people get the disease more severely than others.

They also hope to create a map that shows where outbreaks are happening and a method of distinguishing cases from those of the common cold.

Experts have warned people to be cautious about which apps they download in relation to the virus.

At present, Covid Symptom Tracker is the third most popular app in Apple's UK store and second in Google Play's new releases chart for the country.

• Read more here.

President Trump has declared a "major disaster" in Florida and Texas over the coronavirus pandemic.

The phrase "major disaster" may sound scary, but it's actually something that states want - the declaration makes them eligible for federal assistance for relief work.

Mr Trump has already issued disaster declarations for New York, Washington state, California, Iowa and Louisiana.

You can see how coronavirus cases are distributed across the US in our visual guide here.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Donald Trump is due to speak shortly at the White House on Covid-19. He's likely to be accompanied by officials including Dr Anthony Fauci, who has emerged as the face of America's fight against coronavirus.

For Americans, he has become a trusted presence behind the podium at White House briefings, where he has dispensed facts about the US response, explaining the science and sometimes correcting President Trump's pronouncements.

So who is the man behind the headlines?

Read our profile here to find out more about the man described as the most famous doctor in America.

British manufacturer Dyson has received an order for 10,000 ventilators from the UK government.

BBC Business editor Simon Jack reports that the order will be ready in April, and that the firm will also donate an extra 1,000 to the UK, and 4,000 to other countries.

Ministers have asked manufacturers to switch their production in order to make the equipment, which can be used to help keep the worst-affected Covid-19 patients alive. The UK has even published the design online in a bid to help.

Around the world, major car firms - including Ford, Tesla and Fiat - have been among those to answer similar calls from governments.

In Nepal, a restaurant owner is giving away freshly cooked food to stranded foreign tourists. Dorji Lama, who runs a popular restaurant in the town of Pokhara, says he wants to help tourists who can't travel or find restaurants to eat at, due to the nationwide lockdown.

He opens a side door of his restaurant for two hours daily to hand out the parcels and fresh water. He told BBC Nepali that on the first day of the lockdown, 56 tourists came to his place for food, and today there were 78.

Mr Lama says he felt obliged to help during this time of crisis.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Over 16,000 people have been arrested in Peru for ignoring compulsory social distancing measures announced in the country, President Martín Vizcarra has said.

They were taken to police stations where they were detained for a few hours and reprimanded. The government is considering a fine for repeat offenders.

Mr Vizcarra declared a state of emergency on 15 March and imposed an overnight curfew in many cities between the hours of 20:00 and 05:00. Those living in the areas under the state of emergency are only allowed out to buy food or to go to the hospital.

Videos shared on social media showed residents of the capital, Lima, openly flouting the measures by drinking on the streets and playing football.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Britons have been stranded in the South American country after it closed its borders and stopped all flights amid the coronavirus outbreak.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said special flights will be laid on later this week to bring them back.

Peru has recorded 480 cases of the virus so far, and nine deaths.

US President Donald Trump has again expressed his desire that people go back to work as soon as possible - even as more states have issued "stay at home" orders.

Observers believe there could be growing divisions between medical professionals in the administration and those whose focus might lie on the economic impact of the virus.

Stay-at-home orders are issued and lifted by state governors, so Mr Trump doesn't have the power to directly order people back to work.

However, his November re-election campaign is built around the claim that he has presided over record economic growth and low unemployment - both of which have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

He also routinely attacks the media - which he describes as "fake news" - in a way that appeals to his base.

You can read more about why Mr Trump wants stay-at-home orders lifted here, and read about what the crisis reveals about the US, and its president, here.

Our Reality Check team has also fact-checked some of Mr Trump's latest tweets.

The UK government has been sending letters to 1.5 million people telling them to stay indoors for 12 weeks to avoid contracting coronavirus.

The measure is known as "shielding" and covers people most at risk of requiring hospital treatment if they are diagnosed, such as those with organ transplants and some cancer patients.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick promised that those without the support of friends and family nearby would get help from the government for their essentials.

This evening the minister tweeted a picture of what he said was the first food and supplies box ready to be delivered to one of the "shielded" people.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is giving an update. The state currently has more than 2,600 confirmed cases - it's the American state with the third-most cases, after New York and New Jersey.

Governor Newsom said:

• California has secured 100 million new N95 masks – although more procurement is required. The state has also procured more ventilators
• They are expecting 120,000 new test kits, through a partnership with private companies
• About 4,000 hotel rooms have been made available across the state for homeless people
• Most banks have agreed to a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments for those affected by coronavirus

He warned people to take physical distancing seriously. “We can defeat this virus. But we can’t defeat it unless we commit to fulfilling individual obligations. These stay at home orders are real – they’re a bipartisan order.”

Canada is implementing a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for all travellers returning to the country from abroad.

The decision to make the self-isolation measure legally required follows reports people weren't following the existing guidelines.

Officials had warned travellers not to stop and pick up groceries or visit friends upon their return.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference that self-isolation would be a "legal obligation" across the country as of midnight.

People could face fines or criminal charges.