Welcome to The Hill’s daily roundup of coronavirus news.
President Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) struck a deal for a coronavirus response package. Trump also declared a national emergency in the face of mass cancelations of events and restrictions on public gatherings. And in the latest count, at least 1,872 people in 47 states have now tested positive for the virus, with large outbreaks of community spread in Washington state, California and New York.
Here are the latest developments from Friday, starting at the Capitol.
- Trump and Pelosi struck a deal on a multi-billion stimulus package aimed at helping Americans who have been hurt by the coronavirus outbreak. The deal comes after a week of tense negotiations and just hours after Trump had said he was not on board with the bill. The Hill’s Scott Wong and Mike Lillis have the latest on what’s in the deal.
- President Trump held a press conference in the Rose Garden and declared a national emergency over coronavirus, which will free up $50 billion in funds and allow other rules to be waived as well. The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Morgan Chalfant have more.
- Trump also vowed to overhaul the current coronavirus testing system, with drive-thru locations available in some locations. It’s not clear when the system will ramp up, but Vice President Pence said it will be “very soon.” Read more from Jessie Hellmann here.
- Trump at his Rose Garden event also said that he had waived all federal student loan interest “until further notice” through executive action. Several colleges and universities have either closed or moved classes online in recent days. More from Morgan here.
- More than a million Americans could die from the coronavirus without major action to slow the spread of the virus, according to projections from statistical models. More from The Hill’s Reid Wilson here.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the lead scientists behind the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, said Friday that disruptions to everyday life in the U.S. could last up to eight weeks. Several cities and states have banned large gatherings, businesses are requiring their workers stay home and Americans are generally being encouraged to limit their movements. Jessie has more on his remarks here.
- Wall Street capped off one of its most turbulent weeks ever with markets putting on a massive rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Friday with a gain of 1,985 points, up 9.4 percent. It was a sharp turnaround from Thursday, which saw the steepest one-day decline since the 1987 crash. The S&P 500 closed with a gain of 9.2 percent, while the Nasdaq composite rose 9.3 percent. Sylvan Lane has the story on Wall Street.
- On the campaign trail, states voting in next week’s primaries are scrambling to prepare for the contests as coronavirus spreads across the U.S., reports The Hill’s Julia Manchester.
- Miami’s mayor tested positive for the coronavirus after meeting earlier this week with a Brazilian government official who also has the virus. Mayor Francis Suarez has been in isolation since Thursday. The Hill’s Marty Johnson has the story here.
- Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior adviser, worked from home Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after an Australian official she recently met with tested positive for coronavirus, per The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant.
Latest cancelations and postponements:
Louisiana is postponing its April 4 primary. Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin (R) will ask the governor to postpone the primary to June 20 and municipal elections to July 25.
The Masters tournament, which was scheduled to tee off in April, will be postponed to “some later date,” Augusta National Golf Club announced Friday.
The Mormon Church announced all services and events will be suspended worldwide, beginning immediately.
Schools in D.C., Michigan, Oregon and Rhode Island also announced closures, joining the ranks of other states that have made the same call.
Updated at 6:18 p.m.