Update


Summary:

• Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock test positive
• US stock futures turn lower after 3-day rebound
• US passes 100k cases
• Italy reports 919 new deaths
• Global case total nears 538k
• US case total nears 86k, with ~1300 deaths
• Trump signs CARES ACT
• China border closure begins
• Rhode Islands national guard to round up travelers
• 1 in 10 Americans say they know somebody with the virus
• DC mayor advisor dies
• New York death toll spikes
• 5th Congressman tests positive
• South Africa lockdown begins as country confirms first 2 deaths
• Netherlands reports ~1k new cases, 112 new deaths
• Hong Kong reports 65 new cases, largest daily jump
• Singapore makes standing too close to somebody else illegal
• Bolivia imposes some of world's toughest restrictions
• North Korea says 2,280 people still in quarantine
• All of Russia placed on lockdown
• Hungary PM announces lockdown plans
• Israel mobilizes army to enforce lockdowns
• President Xi, Trump promise to "unite" to fight virus during call
* * *

• The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US has surpassed the 100,000 mark, according to Reuters, which cited data fro Johns Hopkins. The most recent US total was 100,040. Italy is second with 86,498 cases and China is third with 81,340 confirmed cases.

The US is the first country to reach this threshold, and it occurs as the White House Task Force begins its latest daily press conference.

• In other news, Ireland has decided to follow Britain by imposing a major lockdown.

• As more countries impose COVID-19 inspired lockdowns, Bolivia has imposed some of the toughest restrictions in the world. Everyone must stay indoors at all times until April 15, except for one visit a week to the shops between 8 am and noon, with the actual day dependent on the last digit of an individual's national ID number: Monday is 1 or 2, Tuesday is 3 or 4, for example. On the weekends, no one is allowed out at all.

• Meanwhile, France has extended its nationwide coronavirus lockdown for another two weeks until April 15, said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Friday.

France is struggling with a sudden surge in deaths as the virus rages across Europe.

• Slovakia, one of the last countries in Europe to detect cases of COVID-19, said on Friday that trucks carrying non-essential goods would not be allowed to enter the country via border crossings from Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as Slovakia steps up efforts to suppress the outbreak. This marks Slovakia as one of the first states to really crack down on trade, a step that most haven't felt necessary.

• Meanwhile, the number of cases in the Netherlands has climbed by 1,172 to 8,603, with 112 new deaths, as the Netherlands joins the group of European countries regularly reporting +~1,000 cases and +~100 deaths a day.

• Finally, Spain reported 769 deaths on Friday, its largest daily jump in deaths since the beginning of the outbreak. The country also reported 7,871 new cases, with the total climbing to 64,059.