April 2 coronavirus news

Nearly 91% of the US population is under a stay at home or shelter in place order that is in effect or scheduled to go into effect, according to a CNN count. That percentage translates to at least 298,589,452 people in the US.

The new count adds US territories; Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

The 12 states that do not have statewide stay at home orders include: 

Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming. 

The count of nearly 91% includes, states, local city and county orders as well. The numbers were tallied using US census data.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that nearly 91% of Americans are under stay-at-home orders as of 12:37 p.m. ET.

US markets edged higher Thursday morning in choppy trading even after a new report showed initial unemployment claims spiked to record highs.

Stocks were on track for a larger rally earlier in the day, with major markets up around 2% at session highs.  

Futures fell sharply after the Labor Department said 6.6 million people filed claims for initial unemployment benefits in the week ended March 28. That doubled the previous all-time high that was set just a week earlier. 

Saudi Arabia imposed an indefinite 24-hour curfew on the cities of Mecca and Medina to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Saudi Ministry of Interior said in a statement.  

Last month the Saudi government started imposing curfews on cities, but gradually applied tougher restrictions after an increase in the number of coronavirus cases. 

On Tuesday, Mecca and Medina collectively recorded 133 new cases — more than any other city in the kingdom, according to the Saudi Health Ministry.

The number of cases in Saudi Arabia now stand at 1,720 with 16 deaths and 264 recoveries, the Health Ministry said.

What this means: The measures mean that residents are not allowed to leave their homes throughout the 24-hour curfew, except in emergencies or to buy supplies from their neighborhoods.

Travel in and out of the cities has also been stopped while shops are to close, except for pharmacies, banks and supply stores.

The two cities, considered the holiest sites of Islam, attract millions of Muslim visitors for pilgrimage every year.

Thailand has announced an indefinite, nationwide curfew starting on Friday as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise, the country's Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha said in a televised broadcast.

Starting Friday, residents in Thailand will not be allowed to leave their premises between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. local time.

Prayut added some exemptions for those providing essential services. “There are exceptions for those with emergency reasons and those who are working in medical service, financial service, transporting essential goods, medicines, medical supplies," he said. 

As of today, Thailand has 1,875 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, of which 15 have died.

As criticism of the UK government’s handling of the coronavirus increases, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters today that a total of 10,412 tests were carried out across the country on Tuesday.

Downing Street added that a total of 2,800 National Health Service workers have now been tested at drive-in testing facilities.

Health Minister Matt Hancock, now back at work after a week in isolation battling Covid-19, will set out plans later Thursday on increased testing, Downing Street added. 

The spokesperson added that the government is “confident” that enough protective equipment is now reaching the medical front lines.

The spokesperson added that Johnson continues to have mild Covid-19 systems and plans to stick to the guidance that he self-isolates for seven days. 

One of the New England Patriots’ team planes is flying back to Boston carrying N95 masks Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered from China.

According to a source, Baker is extremely frustrated that the federal government outbid him on stuff that was en route to Massachusetts. He worked with New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft and the Patriots to get these supplies brought over from China. 

The governor posted a photo of the plane being loaded up with medical supplies, tweeting this:

In a longer statement provided to CNN, Baker said, “As I said before, ordering vital equipment like this is only one part of the challenge and I am incredibly grateful that the Krafts worked this issue relentlessly alongside our Command Center staff to get these critical supplies to Massachusetts. The Krafts, our partners Ambassador Huang Ping, Dr. Jason Li, Gene Hartigan and our Covid-19 Command Center personnel teamed up to get this job done and we eagerly await the plane landing at Logan Airport soon. Our administration will keep pursuing the PPE necessary to support our brave front-line workers who are working tirelessly to save lives during this pandemic.” 

CNN Sports has reached out to the Patriots for comment but we have not heard back yet.

Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all Texans to stay home for the next month.

Abbott's executive order went into effect at midnight and "requires all Texans to stay home unless you’re performing an essential service or activity," Abbott said.

Residents must stay home unless providing essential services or doing "essential things like going to the grocery store," Abbott said in a video posted to his verified Twitter.

Many of the state's counties were already under stay-at-home orders including Dallas, Harris and Bexas counties. Texas has 28.7 million residents, according to the US Census Bureau. 

The German military will mobilize 15,000 soldiers starting Friday to support regional authorities in the fight against coronavirus.

The soldiers will be used to protect critical infrastructure, distribute medical equipment and set up makeshift hospitals.

Germany's defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told state broadcaster ARD that this is the first time such a contingent of soldiers has been deployed in this way. However, she conceded that the military – like many agencies – is experiencing a shortage of protective equipment for the long-term nature of the work.

Some context: Deploying the military in Germany is a sensitive issue, and strictly reserved for extreme situations under the country’s post-war democratic constitution.

At least 6.6 million people filed claims for unemployment benefits in the week ended March 28.

It was the highest number of initial claims filed in history, surpassing last week’s 3.3 million claims.