By Helen Regan, Joshua Berlinger, Julia Hollingsworth, Adam Renton, Steve George and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN
From CNN's Hollie Silverman and Lindsay Benson
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order mandating all restaurants and food establishments in the state to suspend all food and alcohol consumption on site Friday.
Restaurants will only be allowed to provide delivery or takeout, the executive order said.
The order also allows restaurants to provide alcohol to delivery and take out customers who provide identification.
Gyms and other fitness centers were also ordered to be closed.
From CNN's Cristina Alesci
Famed hedge fund Bridgewater predicts the coronavirus will lead to $4 trillion in lost corporate revenue for both public and private businesses in the US, according to a report the firm published Friday.
“That is a very dangerous decline, and if not mitigated, it will lead to a long-lasting ripple,” said the Bridgewater team who authored the research report.
In Bridgewater’s model, companies will have a shortfall of $2 trillion “concentrated in energy and travel and leisure, and about equally divided between large and small companies.”
The firm projects a 6% decline in US GDP for 2020, with the biggest hit during the second quarter.
The firm also estimates a decline of $12 trillion for global businesses in 2020.
“Since this hit to revenues is happening throughout the world, the total hole globally will be roughly three times that—about $12 trillion. Governments are responding, of course, but in most cases these responses will just mitigate some of the ripple. Governments’ capacities to deal with this hit vary greatly and will be a major driver of markets going forward," the report stated.
“Many companies will try to fill this gap by drawing credit lines, increasing their debt positions,” said the investors.
If government policies don’t help fill the gap, companies are likely to dramatically cut spending, which would result in meaningful cuts in employment.
Ray Dalio, who founded Bridgewater, is famous for predicting the 2008 financial crisis.
From CNN’s Amanda Watts and Mallory Simon
The World Health Organization has distributed 1.5 million coronavirus lab tests around the world and they will need 80 to 100 times that, according to Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization health emergencies program.
Speaking at a WHO briefing on Friday, Ryan said, “If we look forward in this epidemic, and we project ourselves forward a number of months, and the amount of testing that is going to be needed, we need to scale that up approximately 80 to 100 times.”
“So, it’s not about doubling the availability of lab tests, it’s not about tripling it, it’s about potentially increasing that 80-fold. Now that’s an extreme analysis, but that’s what we need to aim for,” Ryan warned.
Addressing the impact on health systems, Ryan said, “Look at the intensive care units, completely overwhelmed, the doctors and nurses utterly exhausted. This is not normal. This isn't just a bad flu season. These are health systems that are collapsing under the pressure of too many cases. This is not normal, this is not just a little bit worse than we're used to."
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
The World Health Organization is urging everyone to maintain healthy habits during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"During this difficult time, it’s important to continue looking after your physical and mental health. This will not only help you in the long-term, it will also help you fight Covid if you get it," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva on Friday.
"If your local or national guidelines allow it, go outside for a walk, a run or a ride and keep a safe distance from others. If you can’t leave the house, find an exercise video online, dance to music, do some yoga, or walk up and down the stairs," Tedros said. "Get your information from reliable sources once or twice a day.”
Tedros recommended to maintain a healthy diet, don't smoke, limit your alcohol intake, avoid sugary drinks and stay physically active.
"WHO recommends 30 minutes of physical activity a day for adults, and one hour a day for children," Tedros said.
"If you’re working at home, make sure you don’t sit in the same position for long periods. Get up and take a 3-minute break every 30 minutes," Tedros said. "We will be providing more advice on how to stay healthy at home in the coming days and weeks.”
From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph
Non-essential medical and dental procedures are temporarily restricted across Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said in a statement Friday.
Non-essential medical treatments include joint replacement, bariatric surgery and cosmetic surgery, “except for emergency or trauma-related surgery where postponement would significantly impact the health, safety, and welfare of the patient," the statement said.
According to the statement, non-essential dental procedures also include cosmetic or aesthetic procedures, like veneers, teeth bleaching or cosmetic bonding, as well as all routine hygiene appointments.
“Our health care workers are on the front lines every day protecting Michiganders during these extraordinary and difficult times. By postponing all non-essential medical and dental procedures, we expect to reduce the strain on the health care system and protect people,” Whitmer said.
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood
The State Department anticipates that repatriation flights from Morocco would continue throughout the weekend, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said Friday.
“This is the most important duty that our embassies and consulates perform and I'm continually proud of the work done to ensure the safety and well being of American citizens abroad,” Schenker said in a call with reporters.
Schenker said that the US Mission in Morocco fielded “over 3,000 emails” and a phone bank consular staff answered “hundreds of phone calls.”
He said there were more than 1,000 American citizens in Morocco. A senior State Department official said that in their experience there are usually “several times as many individuals who want to get out than that actually contact us.”
“So the number actually turns out to be much larger,” they said. That official said the repatriation had been “a large logistical effort” and noted they were expecting “half a dozen if not more flights.” They said they would see what the demand was going forward.
“This is the only country in the region, so far, where we've done this effort and gotten this kind of demand, but we understand in countries like Egypt, there are tens of thousands of American citizens and dual nationals, etc, so we'll be looking at what the demand is and what the request is and how to best serve our fellow countrymen going forward,” the official said.
The official could not provide an estimate for Americans in the region when asked. However, they noted that “we are working 24/7 in the field to handle the inflow of requests of information requests.”
“And mind you, that is in some cases with consular staff that has left on authorized departure for health reasons. So just the volume in this unprecedented situation, it's hard to contend with and we’re doing our best,” they said. “I think our people out in the field are doing an amazing, amazing job.”
The senior official said the State Department staff had “gone dramatically to telework."
The governor of the hard hit region of Lombardy in northern Italy has said it needs more soldiers than it has been allocated to enforce an emergency lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.
"I made a series of requests to the Prime Minister, one related to the use of the army to ensure that the measures are strictly applied," Gov. Attilio Fontana said during a news conference on Friday.
"It's being said that 114 soldiers will be sent to Lombardy, which means practically nothing. I think we need to add a zero (to that number) to seriously start discussing the problem."
Fontana warned that the situation is not improving judging by the newest numbers of confirmed cases and deaths.
The Lombardy region is working with the mayors of the municipalities hit by coronavirus to write a list of requests to send to the government.
Among the region's requests, "limitations to physical activity, to all activities in offices and professional ones, closure of construction sites, further limitation in commercial activities," an assessments of the production chains that can be considered "not essential for our region and the country."
From CNN's Adrienne Winston
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said the district's first coronavirus death is a man in his 50s.
The patient was “a 59-year-old male” who “was admitted to a local hospital last week, presenting with symptoms of fever and cough as well as other underlying medical conditions," she said in a statement, adding that he later tested positive.
"As a community, we must continue to support one another during these uncertain times. Everyone must do their part so that we can blunt the spread and protect our families, friends, and neighbors," Bowser said.
From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman
The US Food and Drug Administration announced a temporary policy change Friday to allow the expanded use of “FDA-cleared non-invasive, vital sign-measuring devices” so health care workers can monitor coronavirus patients remotely.
The devices include those that can measure body temperature, respiratory and heart rate and blood pressure.
“This policy applies to certain modifications to the indications, claims, functionality, or hardware or software of FDA-cleared non-invasive remote monitoring devices used to support patient monitoring,” the agency said.
The FDA’s Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Amy Abernethy said in a statement that the agency wants to “ease burdens on health care providers and facilities” during the national coronavirus public health emergency.
“Allowing these devices to be used remotely can help health care providers access information about a patient’s vital signs while the patient is at home, reducing the need for hospital visits and minimizing the risk of exposure to coronavirus,” Abernethy said.