A desperate doctor in the United Kingdom has written to the country's politicians, warning that Britain's health system is already struggling to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
The doctor's letter was read during a parliamentary committee hearing today - the same hearing where Britain's chief scientific adviser admitted 20,000 deaths from the virus would be a "good outcome".
"I am in shock. I feel like we are being thrown to the wolves here. Some of us are going to die. We know some will die."
The doctor went on to accuse the government of pursuing a "deluded" plan to deal with the virus and "betraying" health workers in the process.
You can read more about that story below in our live, rolling coverage of the pandemic.
Updates
20 per cent unemployment rate possible
In other US news, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has reportedly warned Republican senators that unemployment could rise as high as 20 per cent without government intervention.
The Washington Post reports Mr Mnuchin raised the spectre of that staggering figure during discussions about an economic stimulus package. The Trump administration wants to give cash directly to the American people, and offer support to small businesses.
A Treasury Department spokeswoman told the newspaper Mr Mnuchin "used several mathematical examples" for "illustrative purposes" during his meeting with the senators, but did not actually predict that such catastrophically high unemployment "would be the case".
For context, a 20 per cent rate would be about twice as bad as the 10 per cent reached during the Global Financial Crisis a decade ago.
California schools to stay shut
California Governor Gavin Newsom says most of the schools in America's largest state – which is also, incidentally, more populous than most countries – will likely remain closed for the rest of the academic year.
Most of them have already shut down, despite the absence of a government order compelling them to – leaving more than six million children out of school.
The state has applied for a federal waiver which would exempt students from having to take end-of-year tests whenever school returns.
'Utter carnage' in Britain
A parliamentary committee in the United Kingdom has heard unsettling evidence from an accident and emergency doctor, who says the country's hospitals are already struggling to cope with the coronavirus.
"It is absolute carnage in A&E. Utter chaos. We don't have any proper PPE (protective gear)," the doctor wrote, in a letter read by the committee today.
"We are being given crappy paper masks, not the FFP3 masks we need, and not everyone even gets those. Literally, the doctors are seeing the sickest patients, the ones with suspected heart attacks, sepsis – all they have to protect themselves is a bit of paper across their mouth, as if that would ever do anything to protect them.
"There are all the (coronavirus) patients, but then there are also all the other severely sick patients. People aren't stopping having RTAs and heart attacks and strokes and broken hips, are they?
"It's all here and it's utter carnage. I am in shock. I feel like we are being thrown to the wolves here. Some of us are going to die. We know some will die."
The doctor went on to accuse the government of pursuing a "deluded" plan over the last few months.
"I feel betrayed, I feel scared, I feel like we are basically lambs to the slaughter."
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a series of new, far stricter measures in an attempt to slow the virus's spread.
Mr Johnson told Brits to avoid gatherings and crowded places, work from home if possible and stop all "unnecessary" visits to friends and relatives.
He said if one person in a household showed symptoms consistent with the virus, everyone living there would be required to self-quarantine for a fortnight.
And ominously, he admitted the United Kingdom was about "three weeks" behind Italy, which is currently the hardest hit nation in Europe.
Biden addresses health crisis
The US presidential race is still moving forward, but it is being heavily overshadowed by the coronavirus.
Today former vice president Joe Biden has won two major Democratic primaries in Florida and Illinois. The polls close in Arizona soon. All indications are that Mr Biden will win his party's nomination, ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders.
In a subdued speech just now, Mr Biden addressed the crisis.
"This pandemic has impacted every aspect or our lives," he said.
"Tackling this pandemic is a national emergency akin to fighting a war. It's going to require leadership and cooperation from every level of government.
"This is a moment when we need our leaders to lead, but it's also a moment where the choices we make as individuals are going to collectively impact on what happens; make a big difference in this outbreak.
"We as a people are up to this challenge. We always have been.
"The coronavirus doesn't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican. It will not discriminate based on national origin, race, gender or your zip code.
"We're all in this together. This is a moment for each of us to see and believe the best in every one of us.
"The global recession is here and now," it warns in a new macroeconomic update.
"The initial data from China suggests that its economy was hit far harder than projected, though a tentative stabilisation has begun," says S&P's chief economic Paul Gruenwald.
"Europe and the US are following a similar path, as increasing restrictions on person-to-person contacts presage a demand collapse that will take activity sharply lower in the second quarter before a recovery begins later in the year."
How much lower, exactly?
In the United States, S&P predicts a 1 per cent retraction in GDP in the first quarter, followed by a 6 per cent retraction in the second quarter.
"The increasing restrictions on person-to-person contact in Europe and the United States have sent markets reeling as risk-aversion rises and views on economic activity, earnings and credit quality deteriorate sharply," it notes.
Globally, growth throughout all of 2020 will fall to 1-1.5 per cent.
In the Asia-Pacific region, it will plummet below 3 per cent, with a "deep recession" guaranteed.
The European Union has decided to ban outside travellers for 30 days in a move the BBC is describing as "unprecedented".
The ban will apply to all 26 member states, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. There are relatively narrow exceptions for some long-term residents of the EU, family members of EU citizens, and certain workers.
National leaders agreed to the measure in a video summit today.
"This is good, so that we have a unanimous and united approach," EU Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.
A total of 108 people have died, with the majority of them in Washington State. Thirteen have now died in New York.
There are 6423 confirmed cases, spread across all 50 American states.
Trump's 48-hour transformation
Donald Trump has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last 48 hours.
Having spent months consistently downplaying the threat of the coronavirus and insisting it was under control, he abruptly reversed course yesterday, announcing strict new rules in an attempt to contain it.
Mr Trump also flagged plans to provide cash payments to Americans to help them through the crisis, and said he was considering other forms of stimulus.
"I've always known this is a, this is a real, this is a pandemic," Mr Trump said today.
"I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.
"All you had to do was look at other countries, I think now it's in almost 120 countries all over the world.
"I've always viewed it as serious."
His past statements tell a rather different story.
On January 22, for example, CNBC asked the President whether he was worried about the coronavirus becoming a pandemic.
"No, not at all," Mr Trump said.
"We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It's going to be just fine."
A month later, on February 26, he was asked about the number of coronavirus cases in the United States.
"We're going down, not up. We're going very substantially down, not up," he said.
"Within a couple of days it's going to be down to close to zero."
Mr Trump repeatedly suggested a vaccine would be available "soon", despite the experts' predictions it could take as long as 18 months.
He labelled criticism of his administration's response – including a dramatic shortage of test kits – the "new Democratic hoax".
He speculated, without evidence, that warmer weather from April onwards would eradicate the virus.
As recently as March 15 – three days ago – he said the virus was "something we have tremendous control over".
Then, 24 hours later, Mr Trump's tone changed completely.
"If you're talking about the virus, no, that's not under control for any place in the world," he said on March 16.
"There's no question in the last 48 hours or so, the President's tone has changed," AP White House reporter Jonathan Lemire said today.
"This is where he should have been all along.
"He's certainly more clear-eyed about this, he is more somber, he has realised what a threat this is."
'Do not go overseas'
Back home, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just announced the government's official travel advice has been upgraded to level four – do not travel – for the entire world.
"This is the first time that has ever happened in Australia's history," Mr Morrison said.
"For those who are thinking of going overseas in the school holidays, don't. Don't go overseas.
"The biggest risk we have had and the biggest incidents of cases we have had has been from Australians returning from overseas, from many countries that you wouldn't have expected to be a source."
NZ follows Australia's lead
New Zealand has followed Australia's lead this morning, urging its citizens currently travelling overseas to consider returning home as soon as possible.
"Countries around the world are imposing strict travel restrictions. This is leading to a reduction in passenger numbers and many air routes will not remain commercially viable for long," the NZ government's safe travel website says.
"The options for New Zealanders to get home are reducing dramatically. We are therefore urging New Zealanders travelling overseas to consider returning home as soon as possible."
There has already been a large reduction in international flights to the country, and Air New Zealand has announced plans to cut overseas flights by 85 per cent.
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