April 1 coronavirus news

The Covid-19 surge is beginning in northern New Jersey, Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.

Some hospitals in the northern part of the state have asked ambulances to not bring patients to the hospital. Two hospitals called to say they needed ventilators, Persichilli said. 

Officials are looking at possible alternative sites, Persichilli said.

The field hospital will begin being staffed next week, she said.

At least 93 of the long-term facilities across New Jersey are reporting at least one positive Covid-19 case, she said.

About 5,200 healthcare professionals have volunteered to assist with the fight against the pandemic.

New Jersey currently has 22,255 coronavirus cases and 355 deaths, according to CNN's tally.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a formal stay-at-home directive for Nevadans and extended the non-essential business, gaming and school closures today, according to a statement from his office. 

The stay-at-home order goes into effect at midnight Wednesday, according to the statement.

The closure of non-essential business, gaming establishments and schools is extended to April 30, according to the statement.

There are 2,900 New York City Fire Department members currently out sick, Jim Long, a spokesperson for the department, told CNN.

The 2,900 number is an overall count and it includes members who do not have illnesses or symptoms related to Covid-19, Long said.

So far, 282 members of the FDNY have tested positive for Covid-19. This figure includes firefighters, EMS personnel and civilians.

On Tuesday, FDNY EMS responded to 6,010 medical calls, Long said.

Eleven hotels in the Spanish capital of Madrid are being used to treat 704 coronavirus patients, the regional government said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The city's health department is working alongside Madrid's Hotel Owners Association and a 12th hotel is set to start receiving patients from local hospitals by the end of Wednesday.

Around 4,400 graduate doctors are responsible for the care of these patients.

"With this measure, the Health Department can free rooms in the hospitals, which can be used by other patients that need treatment for other illnesses," the regional government said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday that President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "should not try to hide behind an excuse" in response to the suggestion from both the President and the Kentucky Republican that impeachment distracted the US government from the growing coronavirus crisis.

"We have a life and death situation in our country and they should not try to hide behind an excuse for why they did not take action, but it does admit that they did not take action," Pelosi said, adding, "Right now we have to work together to get the job done." 

Some context: In an interview on Tuesday with radio host Hugh Hewitt, McConnell said that the crisis "came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government, because everything, every day was all about impeachment."

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Trump echoed that argument, saying that impeachment "probably did" distract him from responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

"I think I handled it very well, but I guess it probably did (distract me)," Trump said. "I mean, I got impeached. I think, you know, I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about it."

Watch:

The first Covid-19 drive-thru testing site in Palm Beach County, Florida, opened yesterday and has already stopped taking calls to their screening hotline, according to a statement from the county.

Nearly 2,000 appointments have been made through Saturday, according to a press release.

By county, Palm Beach has the third most cases in the state of Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health. 

In a press conference this afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will be signing an executive order directing all Floridians to limit actions outside of their homes.

DeSantis has been one of the governors who has not yet issued a stay-at-home order for the their state.

Florida has reported over 6,900 cases and 86 deaths. 

A nonpartisan think tank believes that 20 million US workers will likely be laid off or furloughed by July.

In a blog post on Monday, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that this will bring unemployment rates “into the mid-teens.”

The estimates account for the recently enacted CARES Act and assumes a fourth coronavirus relief bill, EPI said.

Some more perspective: Goldman Sachs has significantly downgraded its outlook for the US economy between April and June. The investment bank now expects an annualized rate of contraction of 34% compared to the previous quarter. The last estimate was an already-shocking 24%.

Goldman revised its forecast because it thinks the US labor market collapse will be even worse than anticipated. It now sees the unemployment rate rising to 15% by the middle of the year, compared to 9% before.

The bank has also updated its predictions for an economic rebound between July and September, which it thinks will be stronger than what it had last penciled in. But in the interim, Wall Street is clearly bracing for pain.

The United States has now surpassed 200,000 cases of coronavirus.

The current CNN case count is currently at 202,336 cases in the US with 4,454 deaths.