Trump Extends National Lockdown Until April 30th

Countries around the world continue to introduce severe measures to curb the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection, imposing travel bans, mandatory quarantines, medical tests, and urging people to stay home.

The coronavirus, which originated in China in December, has since spread to almost every country, infecting at least 680,000 around the world and killing almost 34,000. At the same time, over 150,000 have recovered from the disease.

At the moment the United States has reported the highest number of confirmed cases (more than 142,000), while the highest death toll has been registered in Italy (10,779 people, according to official data).

Donald Trump extended federal guidelines on social distancing for another 30 days after a top public health expert warned deaths from the coronavirus could reach as many as 200,000 in the US.

"The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks. So I'll say it again, the peak, the highest point of death rates, remember, this is likely to hit in two weeks. Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period it's very important that every one strongly follow the guidelines," Trump told reporters.

"The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end. Therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread."

The guidelines, which recommend people stay home and avoid social gatherings, had been set to expire on Monday.