Viewers like you. Thank you. This is bbc worl news america. E death toll from the coronavirus in italy overtakes china. President trump says he is slashinged tape to get drugs to those infected but he insisto help ithe way. We are working on scaling these to allowan more americans to access different drugs that have shown really good promise. Plus, selfisolating with lifelong friends and how they are making the most of their coronavirus clamp dowve wine. Ha a supply of cheers. [laughter] for those you watching on pbs world. U. S. And around the news from italy, more people have died from the coronavirus there than in chinah emgedrom chi. Li g no new infections. Italians are subject to an extended lockdown. Ts have reprom rome. In this theater of war, the heroes hardly rest. Northern italy is seeing the highest rises. The hospital is overwhelmed but resilient. A strg commitment from all doctors and nurses and come in even when they are not on shift. After they are on at nhe,y t cr never seen anyone complain. More than n8 staff i. The 1th doctor died today. One of the patients here is a doctor, born in 1982. Fel emeen tcyesd positive now he is being incue baited. Thousandsf medics are being recalled from retirement and rushed in from university t help, but still, they are desperate. I think our hospital is reaching breaking point. We just dont need more beds but we need workers and equipment protect our staff. We need ventilators. The spread of the virus is too r fast us to keep up. Not even the dead can rest. The military moved coffins to other areas toe ease pressure. From one town thats cut cases to zero through mass testing and quarantinea warning tota b over its slow response. I have been living in eland and i left my wife and son there it willlead toill a the same s the worst than the one ware seeing. Restrictions on movement here announced to be extended with most venues being closed. Italy lockdown is the model. Transport orts and artill sit i orderly with measu cues as peoplere allowed one byne. The fruits and vegetables are stocked with very little sse of panic here. And withhe new rolls, with this level of outbreak, italians e behaving rationally. The virus has lefthis wounded aging population isolated from each other and from the outside world. The books she reads is called fear. Anchor here in the united states, more than 11,0 people have been infected with the virus and 1 4 have died. U. S. State department has raised its travel advisory telling americans do not travel aboard. Mployees are telling e to work from home if not laying them off. Aio tri dollar smulus all of us are adjustings under t grim new reality. Islosing down. Dwas biggest city br has close their lights. And workers have beened ordto find at home. He Brooklyn Bridge was desserte the states governor this is a health issue. Its a Public Health crisis, but more than that, im telling you, worse than the vir is the fear that we are dealing with and the rumors and how they spread. Number of workers filing for unemployment insuran ins. The or the first time surged on thursday as the economy slams on the brakes. Congress has passed the first stage of a trillion dollar stimulus package including paid sick leave. Markets raled a little t admini giving 1,000 t america who need the money most. Me c down period. Reporter t president says red tape has been slashed and existing drugsng inclu one we are going to make that drug available almost immediately andhats where the f. D. A. Has been ey great. Ave gone through the approval process thats been ooapproved and tit down from many, many months to immediate. We are going to make that drug available. Reporter hed cau confusion. E food and drug commissioner was c forced torify that the existing drug hasnt yet been proved. We want to do it in aarge pragmatic Clinical Trial to gather that information and answer the question that answer reporter analysis of coronavirucases in the u. S. Shows it is not just the adults aged 20 to 44 make it up 20 and 12 of intensive care ses. The young are enjoying their spring break as this crowded beach in florida shows. They are ignoring the advice. They are blowing it way out of proportion. If i get i i not going to stop partying. Reporter americans are adjusting. In miesota, Fitness Instructors areoldi rot classes. A distill area is makingand sanitizers. A dog walking by drone. Well. Ingenuity is alive and anchor i was joined earlier by congressman ruis, who is an emergency room physician. Are yo seeing an uptick in your area inni calif i representoralsniifa district, palm springs and Southern California bordering arizona. We have had three deaths out of the total 1 in the entire state. The reason why my are is more vulnerable is because we have the demographics of 30 are older than 60, higher rates of diabetes and h. I. V. Infection and less capacity in hospitals. So i have been on the phone with the county as well as the state and the national authoritieso really Pay Attention to the valley as a hot spot because we could lose aot of lives. Anchor are your hospita begiing to be exeamed . Asigowy are not at the o giving the pctdi n otre hnsavhee masks or ventilateors and also at this point, its not necessarily the overwhelming of the system that can lea to demographics of the population who are older and havellnesses at can put them at risk of dying. Anchor whatre you expecting to see when that surge comes to your district . What are y bracing for . Im working with the state and county to call for a very specific strike team so we can open up a more efficient form o testing and clearance from hospitals as well as although gist particular supply chains so e can act in realtime and get the resources that we need specifically here in the valley, because it is a hot spot in californiahat because its not in a big usual and center like l. A. Or san francisco, oftentimes i gets dismissed. We are not going to let that happen and moving theall forward. Its up to all of us to take the responsibilities in every Community Across america tmake sure w practice our social distancing and avoid seading the virus. You see the economic depth and we will be in a recession is dictly dependent on the coronavirus so we have to do our parts to get a hold of the coronavirus in order to help the economy. Anchor i saw that you held a town hall this morning, what people were saying to youbout this trillion dollar stimulus package that is in the works . A lot of workers and parents immediate Financial Support and arent working orant go to work because their children are home and they have to be home to take care of the kids the president passed the bill that the house o representatives passedeveral da ago, the family first coronavirus recover act. That expands Unemployment Insurance for states an gives businesses and workers the family medical leave act provisions for them to get tested and care for people who are quarantined. And expands paid ck leave for businessro that dontde that for the workers for that criteria as well. And has tax credits for the Small Businesses who comply with those new provisions those who are selfemplweed. Eed a larger economic stimulus packa tt will also add to the worker and family protections that this first bill did. Anchor thank you, congressman, for joining u thank you. Anchor as you heard there from california, older h americans the greatest risk of being hospitalized or dying, so what can be done to protect our elderly . Bill, thanks for being with us, what practical advice are you giving to theer e who must be so concerned . We are giving advice that the c. D. C. Has been giving which is commonsense steps and we heard about washing our han and we need to be practicing that socialnc disg, avoidin owds and if you are sick, stay home. Anchor what pportion of americas population is over 65 and therefore at greater risk from the coronavirus . The significant portion of the population becaue of over population is the Fastest Growing pulation in the united states. So a signifint portion of Older Americans and those of Underlying Health conditions who are susceptible to this virus. Anchor for olderri ans who may feel isolated how difficult is this extended period of it is extraordinarily hallenging for them. We already had a crisis of social isotion in this country which has been exacerbated b the coronavirus. We are urging our family members to reach out and stay in touch. Anchor how about the youngsters who are controlicing on the best and help the oldies. We dont call them oldeys. We think all americans regardle a of the should be following that c. D. C. Guidelines to avoid large crowded areas and practice social distancing. It just makes sense, while Older Americans are more susceptible to this virus, everyone can get it. That is something all americans should hear. Anchor se bec older people have life experiences, life can be hard. Is that perhaps an advantage of dealing with the anxiety now . Maybe it is. There is so much misinformation out there. Thch is a new and unexpected phenomenon. Ei people are forced to ally change up their daily habits in dramatic ways. Judging by thealls that we are getting into our call center here at aarp, there is a heightened level of anxiety across the board. We are not just combatting coronavirus but fear, anxiety and isolation. Anchor what is the most common call you are getti t . Things. There is a bit of confusion abou the threemonth extension that the federal government allowed to pay your taxes. Butts still a requirement to file your taxes oror file an extension by april 15. That is causing a lot of a confusio getting a lot of questions about that. The other major topic we are hearing is from families, families with loved ones in Nursing Homes or aisted living facilities who have been shot. We understand the need to do this from a Public Health point of but those facilities have the those families informed of the condition of their loved ones and conditione of facilities and they have an obligation to open up lines of communications between their loved ones, the residents and theiramilies on the outside. Social distancing shouldnt lead to social disnnection. Anchor thank you for joining us. And other news, germany isto preparing deploy the military if it becomes overwhelmed. They will protect physical infrastructure and set up make shift hospital beds. The number of confirmed coronavirus is 14,000. U. S. Treasury department has announcedou another of sanctions on iran. Iran struggles to cope with the coronavirus. The petro Chemical Industry has representative gabard suspended her bid to become. She made the aouncement on twitter and said she is supporting ve president biden. You are watching bbc world new america. London is on lockdown members of the public keep hitting the streets as the capital closes for busines one Positive Side effect of the huge chang to our lives from coronavirus has been the impact on the envirment. Researchers say carbon moxide levels have almost haved. New york city in a time of virus, desserted by tourists and workers. This is normally cgged with cars and vans and 24 power plants burning fossil fuels,ew york has the dirtiest air in the u. S. Thiseek as people have responded to the coronavirus by working from home, tffic across new york has fallen and scientists are seeing a similar drop of levels of air pollutants. Last weekend was the cleanest i have ever seen. Some of that is driven by meteorology. Bus ite cleanest we have what researchers have found in china and italy. Tellite images track falling levels. Mostly pduced from karen begins, this chemical threatens our health. These rapid declines will likelt ue for the duration of e pandemic with scientists that 2020 could see t sllest growth of carbon since the Global Financial crash in 2009. The big concern when governments splurge cash the money will be spent on fossilfuel dependent a agencies suchs afeyage. Itoulde wor bld on a greener more sustainable footing. Electric c charges could be insulated. Nd homes they argued if the spending boost, oil, coal and gas would be disastrous against climate change. Anchor number of coronavirusd cases deaths are rising faster in london. The government Officials Say there are no suchlans in the works. We have be speaking to londers. The sirens are screaming, stay home, stay well. London is empty. But not everyone is listening. If i need to go somewhere. You might infect people. They should stay inside. The instagramio gener wants to show the world they were there and the threat i invisible. I wanted to see how busy it is. He and his wife are doing the same thing. And head back before true isolatn which is coming next. Could be theast few days of freedom. The plea is not to go out to bars cafesnd restaurants. But they areo clinging on their lives. Its just me there. You have too much tv. Coming in and out of a couple of points. The full english. The owner is shutting up shop. Very little reason to be open and the risk factornd people are frightened, i need support system if the Prime Minister says i have got to stay indoors. Londons shopping streets have been abandoned butne hborhood supermarkets, hair dressers were doing brisk business. They are searching for supplies and getting ready. Iveo got get some vital my with petrol. Just around the corner from the serho tppemporary mort tu area is being assembled. Anch life in london changes. Selfisolating has become the norm for many in the united states. While it is stressful but could be an opportunity. Take three ladies in britain who have known each other for decades. They plan toive together as bbc. Plained to how are you guys doing . We have a supply of wine. Well, i heard about the wine, i believe its the only thing you have been paniced buying. [laughter] youll needorthan that for 12week isolation. A week in our own home in isolation. Ianf well,le w decide which house we are going to go on living. We have the same amount of rooms. We are in carols at the moment. And dotty has an exercise room and do yoga as well. [indiscernible] i got britbox to watch the n. Ow friendship, dont you . Yes. Ourldarrehiaren ri med we have seen each other through divorces and go on holiday together. Look out for each other. And during the week, we squabble. Hats normal. But mostly we get along. Vy supportive of each other. Im sending you a bigirtual hug until we meet properly. 50year friendship can endure the coronavirus, buy wine and deepovhe for one more on the working at any time, check us ank you for watching bbc world news america. Presentation of this program isrovided by. Man babbel, aop Online Program develed by language specialists teaching spanish, french, and more. The Freeman Foundation by jy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutio for americas neglected needs. And by contributions to this pbs station from vieweru. Like you. Thank mr. Rogers its a beautiful girl we are the curious. Woman 1 wow ma1 the adventurous. Man 2 oh daniel tiger grrr woman 2 those venturing out for the first time. All blast off t [rockeexplosion] man 3 and those who have never lost our sense of wonder. Ma4 whoa man 5 are you seeing this . [quacking] vo we are the hungry. Man 6 theoner cookie vo the joyful. Bob ross a happy little cloud. Isman 3 we believe ther always more we can uncover. Girl more we can explore. Won 3 we believe. Man 6 . In the capacity for goodness. Vo and the potential for greatness. Man 7 heorch tas b hn paeessed man 1 pbs. Man 3 pbs. Girl pbs. Captioning sponsorho by news productions, llc woodruff good evening. M judy woodruff. On the newshour tonight on the rise. The number of confirmed covid19 cases in the u. S. Tops 11,000, as the government looks to a trillion dollars in aid to stem the economic toll. I sit down with the secretary of defense to discuss how the military can help. Were providing to the states manpower, were provid medical equipment and pplies. We are going to dispatch ourhi hospital, one on the east coast, one on the west coast. Panicked shoppers leave many grocery shelves bare, what you need to know about the foodsu ly in a time of crisis. Plus, yalitza aparicio, star of 2018s acclaimed fr