Battle millions of locusts the 2nd time in months. The death toll from corona virus across the u. S. Has now passed 16 and a half 1000 in new york there are signs of improvement with a drop in hospital admissions but its still the worst affected states number a Record Number of deaths for a 3rd straight day kristen suddenly reports part island is new york citys potters field where those with no family or means to arrange a funeral are laid to rest they used to bury 25 people a week here in the age of the coronavirus its about that number every day. Counting the dead is now part of the daily routine for the gov 911 was supposed to be the darkest day in new york for a generation we lose 2753 lives on 911 weve lost over 7000 lives through this crisis. That is so shocking and painful and breathtaking. I cant i dont even have the words for. As the daily death toll continues to reach new heights and the state builds more temporary hospitals like this 350 bed the syllabi there are signs that the spread of the disease is slowing thanks to mandatory social distancing measures that have all but shut down the city of nearly 9000000 those measures will remain in effect for the forseeable future as the number of new hospital admissions has gone down for the past 3 days if were not careful it were not strong if were not disciplined in fact this is a disease that can really us surge resurge you should be very worried about resurgence we all are. The last thing we can afford is to let down our guard and let this disease back in the door even more and then see the numbers spike up pressured to lift restrictions and let people return to work has been growing along with the Unemployment Rate the number of new yorkers who have filed for unemployment claims in the last 3 weeks has more than double but theres one industry where they cant get enough help funeral homes. The governor says new york state will be bringing in additional Funeral Directors to help people like a sous pujols whos been working long hours 7 days a week and still cant keep up right now money is not worth it its not worth it its not worth it i would give up my job any day for like a normal normal job and every much rather be quarantined in my house right now and the bodies are expected to continue to stack up a grim reminder of a silent killer kristen salumi al jazeera new york some positive signs all being seen in parts of the u. S. Though its top Infectious Disease expert anthony felt she says fewer people are requiring hospital treatment at the same time as were seeing the increase in deaths were seeing rather dramatic decrease in the need for hospitalizations like i think yesterday was Something Like 200 new hospitalizations and its been as high as 1400 at any given time so that is going in the right direction i say that and i always remind myself when i say that that means that what we are doing is working and therefore we need to continue to do it. But the virus is adding millions more people to the queues of americas jobless another 6600000 claimed on Employment Benefits last week a load that takes the total to nearly 17000000 people in the past 3 weeks is concerned the rate could rise to numbers not seen since the end of the Great Depression in some cities drive ins have been created to collect unemployment forms for the 1st time in weeks no new cases have been reported in the south korean city of daegu at the heart of the countrys corona Virus Outbreak a number of new infections across the country continues to decline just 27 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours south korea has reported more than 10000. 00 cases so far more than half of them in daegu south korea is the 1st major country to hold the general election during the covert 19 crisis president mungy in cast his ballot while suitably protected has been praised for getting one of the worlds worst outbreaks under control but its helped his Democratic Party of career regain support following an economic slowdown corruption scandals and tensions with north korea that speak now to rob mcbride he joins us live from seoul so no more new cases in diago do officials believe this crisis is now ending. Theyre certainly very encouraging signs very encouraging numbers in fact this week has been a week of milestones for the 1st time we have seen the daily number of new infections dropped to below 50 and stay below 50 now the latest numbers show below 30 and of the 27 latest cases again many of those were people coming from abroad or koreans returning from abroad but obviously fall many people here in south korea the most important number will be this is a row reporting of new infections in daegu take you as you recall was the epicenter they were mysterious cluster of hundreds of people falling sick mainly centered on a particular church the infections very quickly spread to all rebel groups in Nursing Homes hospitals and then very quickly cases were being reported all across south korea there was a feeling of one point as though they thing could get completely out of control the austerity as in the medical services would be would be completely overburdened and we could see daegu sized outbreaks across the country well all of these weeks are still the majority of cases around 65 percent of all the cases reported in south korea have been down in the southeast corner of the country so both here and overseas it with largely be regarded i think the south Korean Response as something of a success and theyve decided to go ahead with this general election amid the whole krona virus issue is that sort of positive trend youre talking about translating into more things where the ruling party hows it looking. Thats right i mean just as many people are following that the south korean model and had to deal with the virus theyll also be following i think some of the methods on how to stage an election at a time of end National Health emergency yes these elections are being taking place across the country but they are so it is about to put in place very strict precautions not only of course wearing a mask which everybody here does but also the dawning of that gloves which you then dispose of after youve handled your ballot paper people keeping more the one beats a distance in the lines to vote and these are the preliminary early voting for the National Elections for the National Assembly and the main voting day will actually be next week but already theres been a very large turnout of some over 10 percent by friday afternoon of the electorate coming out to vote and it remains to be see if that is good news or bad news for the parties and the politicians supporting the president moon j. N. Because of course over the course of they say pandemic and the epidemic crisis his popularity has actually risen it stands it Approval Rating of some 57 percent now which contrasts with a very low 41 percent right at the start of this crisis at the end of february when he was going to south korea was facing this implying number of cases especially down in the southeast and jay and was heavily criticized for not putting a ban on arrivals from china but steadily during the course of this crisis i think people have generally decided hes done a pretty good job all right thanks so much from the right there. The government does announce tighter social distancing measures after a sudden surge in cases public transport has been reduced to half capacity and gatherings the band new rules are in place for 14 days the country has more than 3 and a half 1000 infections jessica washington joins us live from jakarta so jessica to what extent is the other cities shutting down then. I mean this isnt quite a lockdown but these do indicate that jakarta is on its way to some sort of partial lockdown now these are search and on gatherings of more than 5 people and on regent reducing Public Transport Services do indicate that the local government here in the capital city is taking this crisis very seriously now some of these measures like School Closures like Office Closures have been in place that now we have these strict penalties for those who are breaching these social distancing measures fines are for around 7000. 00 us dollars for people who are still gathering in large groups now across all the regencies and provinces in engine asia the restrictions are different but what is similar across all of these provinces is that every area needs to seek permission from the Central Government if they want to enact similar social distancing measures that may of course slow down the responses of particular provinces jessica is that a case of the situation under control by authorities all that they simply havent. You know discovered the extent of the virus. Sam youd be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks that the engine asian government has handled this situation well it has been an incredibly slow response now indonesia only confirmed its 1st cases off the coronavirus in march by that point the virus had already spread well beyond china and many people were growing very suspicious as to why indonesia had not even confirmed a single case considering one of the worlds most populous nations a population of 217000000 now the concern is very much focused on the response to this crisis we know that the hospitals are not ready doctors are telling us that they are using plastic raincoats because they dont have protective gear the other problem is of course the testing now weve had at least 3000. 00 confirmed cases of the virus and 300. 00 deaths but indonesia dollars have one of the worlds lowest rates of testings so perhaps the crisis is on a much bigger scale than we realize the other issue is travel between islands now jakarta the capital city is the epicenter of this virus here in indonesia but travel is continuing between islands so the fear is that people will travel from jakarta to islands which have basically no Health Infrastructure and would not be able to handle coronavirus cases thanks so much jessica washington a potential deal by opec members and its allies to reduce all production will be discussed by g 20 Energy Ministers on friday or producing nations except mexico agreed to 10000000 barrels a day until early june to account of the slump in demand cools by coronavirus russia u. S. And saudi arabia say the cuts are necessary to stabilize the global oil trade. Still ahead on aljazeera japan declares a state of emergency but its unclear if many will stick to social distancing rules struggling to sell their produce the philippines want down is making life difficult for farmers. Hello the chance of big showers in java is reducing now the satellite picture there we see do show up but in fact it borneo where in the fall crush you see these Little Orange tops which is still significant thunderstorms stars indonesia and increase the 3 malaysia the philippines and the mainland Southeast Asia in fact vietnam cambodia and thailand an increasing likelihood of big showers and therefore flash floods in the next couple of days case in point from penn monday tuesday wednesday know when to drive anything through so when the showers come they are going to be slow moving overseas he would and this is right for this time of year in australia the clouds in the east not so much in the west so all the action possibly is further west in perth the perth forecast could even be a record breaking on sunday if we get to study 7. 7 that is a new record either way its going to be hot now its nothing like that of course through victoria with melbourne enjoying with us there were a continuation of disappointing where the 15 degrees wind and rain at its worst in tasmania are running through a good part New South Wales it looks sunnier and this windy and slightly warmer on sunday if youre lucky. In the age of the coronavirus information is more important than ever when i want to east investigates the battle for truth in china and beyond on out 0. The whole deal. Is to deliver news of people who are subject to the sessions made by the recently no where to put all these people the only individuals to children the lawyers with such tools this place has become a complete trap you have to hear all of them and to treat them with something that in respects. A comeback youre watching aljazeera time to recap our headlines now the number of coronavirus deaths in the us has risen 216500 new york had a record daily toll of almost 800 but there are some positive signs the number of new hospital admissions has dropped for a 2nd straight day no new cases have been reported in south korea city of daigo at the heart of the countrys current Virus Outbreak. The 1st time in weeks and im sure of new infections nationwide continues to decline just 27 were confirmed in the past 24 hours in the days here is tightening emergency measures after a surgeon reported infections anyone breaking the rules can be fined up to 7000. 00 and be jailed for up to a year the country has reported more than 300. 00 deaths. Indias government says its tough strategy against the corona Virus Outbreak in succeeding more than 2 weeks after imposing the worlds biggest lockdown claims the number of cases could have been far worse reaching more than 3 quarters of a 1000000 by next week Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is due to decide in the next 48 hours whether to extend the lockdown beyond tuesday at least 169 people have died from the virus and nearly 6000 infected japan has declared a state of emergency in the capital and the number of prefectures following a sudden surge in cases this week more than 5000 infections and nearly 100 deaths have been reported tokyo officials are rolling out new measures to limit Business Activity but there are concerns not everyone will stick their social distancing rules as a quarter reports. Rush hour in central tokyo theres little sign of social distancing with most Japanese Companies working normally. That may change in the coming days as the country tries to reduce person to person contact by 80 percent but the strategy of achieving that without a complete lockdown has left many experts skeptical in the face of escalating actions this is the tip of the iceberg the decision not to impose closing shop. Or. Some sort of transponders in. Resolved that matter just asking people to stay at home is a very weak state of Emergency Powers now allow tokyo and other large prefectures to asked people to stay at home and tell businesses to close a city of 14000000. 00 people tokyo accounts what 20 percent of japans total Economic Activity this is here that will hurt the whole country and Prime Minister shinzo our basic term and to limit the damage abbi has been locked in a dispute with the citys governor. About how many businesses must close beliefs more drastic action is needed and more quickly. Im going to ask businesses to close down and appeal for their cooperation parts of tokyo are already clearly quieter the media cover family has been running this restaurant for 100 years. They continue to operate despite falling customer numbers if we got compensation we could close our shop for now but because we dont know whats going to happen we have to earn what we can not know what you can and cant do is the biggest problem the Abbott Government has been criticised for doing too little too late in tackling the virus and their fears japan could be facing a much bigger hidden outbreak were going to talk about Economic Policy physical financial all day long but unless we basically flatten the curve its almost like trying to fix a Drainage Pipe while you still have your faucet open for many tokio theres a double uncertainty of how big a health risk theyre facing and what that will do to the health of their businesses i ask out of sierra tokyo. Jordan has started a 48 hour nationwide lockdown its the governments latest effort in countering the spread of the virus a limited number of workers including medical staff are exempt from the policy yemen has announced its 1st recorded case of corona virus infection is in the port city of a shower in the Eastern Region of harbor a moat the port there is closed for a week so are markets and mosques a curfew is being imposed in some areas to canada has lifted its freeze on military exports to saudi arabia despite Human Rights Concerns a 14000000000. 00 contract to sell Armored Vehicles has been renegotiated the canadians are warning against the misuse of the vehicles critics say the sale should be scrapped because of the kingdoms 5 year war in yemen and the murder of saudi journalist. Its being called the most important economic plan the box finance ministers have agreed on a half trillion dollar rescue package the deal comes on a day of hope for Member States germany and spain signaled theyve reached the peak of the pandemic emma heywood reports. The rise in new infections seems to be slowing in spain the countrys hospitals though are still overwhelmed and after weeks of loss and more deaths predicted trying to keep coronavirus at bay in public spaces is paramount and residents are reminded they should stay at home that. Spain will remain in lockdown until april the 20 but the Prime Minister says the risk now room for hope. After weeks of this fight which has been from the moments agonizing we see how the fire the pandemic released is starting to come under control the figures are encouraging we have reached the peak of coke at 19 and we are close to the beginning of the descent. In germany the lock down appears to be working with burns landmarks empty deserted. And. The latest coronavirus numbers in germany a reason for some hope the increase is flattening and the current number of infections is lowering a bit if we count the people who recovered and those who lost their lives more than 18000 people have died in italy its squares remain empty the impact of weeks of prescriptions is clear to see for those families hardest hit the government says loan and mortgage repayments will be suspended and there are questions about who will help pay for the pandemic. Italy is an integral part of the e. U. The e. U. Must show a strong swift and unified response to the repercussions of this pandemic. We have to provide answers about politics finance and the economy because this is in all of our interests this does not only concern italy but also spain and all countries that face economic and social problems and those questions are being asked across europe it is grappling with this crisis from the north to the south nowhere is untouched by. The have been deep divisions though inside the e. U. About how it should be financed days of talks have no resulted in an agreement held by the french finance minister as the most important economic plan in the e. U. History it will allow credit from the blocks bailout fund to go to the worst affected countries until the crisis is over this emergency plan and well shield our economic and social fabric as we dive into a recession. Where house prices abates we need we will need to spur the economic recovery he needs it is imperative that we brought together the many families in Europe Easter weekend which usually market time of togetherness coronavirus will mean many will now spend it apart remembering those who theyve lost and then he would out as there are a 3 man crew is reached the International Space station after an extra long predeparture quarantines use the risk of coronavirus the 2 russian cosmonauts and an american astronaut blasted off in their soyuz capsule towards the i. S. O. s on thursday. Restrictions meant their families werent allowed to attend the launch the trio will remain on board until october. Farmers in the philippines are finding it tough to get their produce to market because of the virus long down more than 200 filipinos have died of links to the virus with around 4000 infections and over. Our visit to this farming cooperative is welcomed but there are clear protocols the province of new have a see how it is considered one of the philippines biggest important food grand juries romel have years says the price of grain has more than doubled after last years drop in prices thats being welcomed. But he says the market is bala tiles and farmers are worried about the future. Not about them and we are scared for what may happen next because of this law and were still waiting for the promised machine from the government that we were supposed to get from that if they earned then they increase it last year. The Philippine Government has imposed strict measures to clamp down on the spread of the covert 1000. 00 pandemic putting the entire region of lives on under what it calls an enhanced community quarantine. It is home to more than 60000000 filipinos and the closure of businesses has led to a sudden loss of work that is devastating families here. Reland overly n. T. Owns 82. 00 hacked or pepper and tomato farm and is one of those affected. By your bias dont really count the neighbor i say that we dont want to go to dinner when we do they even dictate the price at least 2 warehouses they say have closed down here and now farmers have to queue for space at trading posts like this one before the lock down this was just an empty parking lot now this has become a temporary drop off point for farmers who are desperate to sell their vegetables those who are able to sell say they are grateful to get anything and others say they end up taking their produce back to their farms or its left to rot some farm owners say they dont want to harvest anymore Filipino Farmers are among the poorest people in the philippines most are in debt and they say theyre no longer able to pay their creditors and the extension of the lockdown is upsetting many here who believe it will devastate them they say they need help and they need it now. Jamal and doug and al jazeera there that you see have province northern philippines farmers in east africa hoping to avoid a 2nd plague of locusts this year huge areas of farmland were destroyed a couple of months ago as Catherine Sawyer reports from kenya swarms of insects up to 20 times larger are expected this time. This farmers in eastern kenya skittery county are running out of time the wind weighted by millions of Desert Locusts that used their farms to breed now the hope is are about to mature and if the farmers dont kill them all before they develop we think this 2nd generation of luckiest that over 80 devoid tens of thousands hacked years of vegetation across east africa will cause even more devastation. If the matter before we are done killing them or they will overwhelm us came here and. We cannot kill them because they were flying so we are trying to finish the hope but before they can fly swarms 1st landed in north and kenya at the beginning of the year and spreads to other parts of the country eating all the vegetation along the way most of last seasons crop in this area was destroyed by the law casts a long rains are starting and farmers are afraid if they dont clear the breeding grounds all the insects quickly then their family and is going to be destroyed again. Mary karimi lost most of her have assists got one sack of grain down from the 5 sacks you usually have us. Have children and i had to serve a sack of green grams was coffees now im buying food and its very expensive. The east African Regional body guard is tracking the movement of the lockers using a supercomputer the relays climate conditions and wind patterns to predict where the lock has a heading the swarms in kenya will be moving north in the region countries such as if e. O. P. Or somalia south sudan and he will be he tied as a lock us head to where the arabian peninsula. Some farmers are concerned that with the onset of corona virus many governments will dive back resources meant to deal with the locusts honestly yes there is a concern because this means Restricted Movement and Restricted Movement means in areas where specialists who are supposed to come will also in assist in the control efforts from other countries theres no restriction on who can come into or travel to certain countries because of the cough use lockdowns and the likes back in the village their families are doing what they can to ensure this new swarms will not make it out alive to destroy crops anywhere else catherine sorry al jazeera east and kenya the pandemic is changing lives in many ways including the way many of us think the Oxford English dictionary has published an update to reflect the words and phrases now in regular use covert 19 is a brand new entrant while phrases including self isolate social distancing and flatten the curve have been added because of the new context in which they are being used. And lets take you through some of the stories were following here the death toll from corona virus across the u. S. Is now past 16 and a half 1000 in new york there are signs of improvement with a drop in hospital admissions but its still the worst affected state had a Record Number of deaths for a 3rd straight day no new cases have been reported in south korea and the city of daegu at the heart of the countrys corona Virus Outbreak the 1st time thats happened in weeks the number of new infections nationwide continues to decline just 27 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours from a bride has the latest. It is certainly been a week of milestones for the 1st time since the peak of the crisis we saw the number of new day infections dropped for the 1st time below 50 and now we have it dropping below 30 for the 1st time and of course the most important figure this week i think for many people it will be the fact that there have been 0 new cases in daegu itself take you as you recall was the epicenter of this outbreak a mysterious cluster largely centered on the congregants of a particular church the quick least read the very vulnerable population in the nation is tightening measures after a surgeon infections anyone breaking the rules can be fined up to 7000. 00 u. S. Dollars and jailed for up to a year indias government says its tough strategy against the corona Virus Outbreak is succeeding more than 2 weeks after imposing the worlds biggest lockdown Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is due to decide whether to extend the restrictions beyond tuesday yemen has announced its 1st recorded case of corona virus infection is in the port city of rush hour in the Eastern Region of how the remote poor there is closed for a week as our markets and mosques. Have lines its one of one east now. From New Hampshire to the world. 19 has gone blue. Killing tens of thousands. And terrifying millions. Over a sure. Fire in the snow leader. Meanwhile another virus has emerged the symptoms suppression misinformation and panic. China was an open transparent democratic nation. Then this whole thing might not have happened