Amy europe is the epicenter of the coronavirus. Spain has now thehe second most cases in europe following italy. Spspain had more than 2000 new cases in the last 24 hours and hasnumber of deaths doubled. We will go to madrid for an update. In San Francisco takes the most severe measures in the United States in response to covid19, telling its 7 million residents to shelter i in place. We will go inside the bay area same quinton state prison where two prison blacks are under partial quarantine. We will speak with incarcerated journalist j Juan Moreno Haines. We are well awaware of whatas happening outside the walls abstain quinton, so now when w w house,is coronavirus and worldwide, there is a natural anxiety that exists over here about what is going to happen to us when the public brings this illness to us. Amy with 2. 3 Million People locked in u. S. Prisons and jails, the u. S. Has the largest proportional prison population in the world. Then to seattle to meet a 17yearold boy behind a website trackiking cororonavirus cases t is now a vital global resource. Out w were sarsme or Something Like that, thehere wasnt juju a website you could gogo to easily on n a phone juse these stats updatated every minute. I think it is s interesting howi can help combat misinformation and provide the straight facts. Amy and like President Trump, 17yearold avi schiffffman has been tracking corona cases daily since december. His website has nonow reacachedr momore than 40 million views around the world and growing. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. There are now over confirmed 183,000 cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with over 7100 reported deaths. S. The European Union is preparing to vote on a proposal to shut all external borders and impose a 30day continentwide foreign travel ban. In france, president emanuel macron warned that french people are not heeding governmement directives and continuing to gather in public spaces. I know these efforts im asking our novel, but the circumstances require us to do so. Were at war. A health were commercially. Were fighting neither an army nor our nation, but the enemy is here invisible, untouchable, which is advancing. S requires amy france is planning to deploy 100,000 police to enforce the coronavirus lockdown and impose penalties for those who dont respect the new rules. The ongoing antigovernment yellow vest protests have continued in the face of new restrictions. Thousands of f French Security forces confronted hundreds of demonstrators saturday in paris. Macron did allow municipal elections to go ahead sunday despite concerns over crowds. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to grip spain now the fourth most infected country worldwide with over 9000 cases and 300 dedeaths. 2000 new cases were confirmed over the past day. The Spanish Government announced it was nationalizing hospitals and private healththcare c comps to better manage the pandemic. We will go to madrid for the latest after headlines. In italy, reports emerged that overrun hospitals may have to start refusing intensive care treatment to patients over 80 years of age, this according to a draft of plans on how toto coe with t the crisis. Several are closing 35 manufacturing facilities across europe. The video circulated on social media of mercedesbenz workers in spain striking after they were asked to keep working during theheandemic. Canada has announcedt t is shutting its borders t to forein nationals,s, though the order hs some exceptions, i including for now, u. S. Citizens. Cuba has given permission for cruise ships to dock on the island if they are carrying covid19 patients, saying this is a time for solidarity and that health is a human right. A british cruise ship carrying five people who tested positive for coronavirus is set to dock in cuba after days stranded in the oceaean, being turned away y other cocountries. Filipipino president nt Rodrigo Duterte has put the enti island of luzon which inclcludes the capapital manila on lockdown,n, affecting 5 57 million peopople. There are 2 confirmemed cases and d 12 deaths inin the phipippines. Critics sasay the arananti presents a a nearimpossssible dilemmmma for the islands s may hourly workekers who must t choe between survival and their healalth. This is a manila resident. Workers hard for the because they will get hungry. Their children will get hungry. What about the people who cant work because they are quarantined . They cant go out. They have no o money for food. Amy south africa has declared a imposingdisaster,r, massive travel bans. Sudan has sealed off all sea ports, land crossings and airports. Egypt, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in rica announced it will suspend flights starting thursday. Nearly 350 cases have b been confirmed as covid cases mount in the middle east, going concern syria might face a major outbreak that could be catastrophic to civilians already dedealing wiwith the ong war and masassive displacement. According to i iranian officiai, the country has temporarily released 85,000 prisoners, including g political prisonersn response to the pandemic. The death toll in iran has topped 850. Nearly 15,000 people have been infected. Inin latin america, chile is closing its bordrders wednesday and imposing isolation as the nation has the highehest numberf coronavirus cases in south americica. Venezuela and peru have also ordered all citizens to stay home. Colombia and costa rica are also closing their borders in imposing curfews. Meanwhile, chinana marked a m mr milestonone tuesday as it annound itit had just one new case over the past day. Here in the United States, here thehere have been more than 4000 confirmed cases and 71 deaths, but testing remains extremely limited. The numbers of those infected are expected to be thousands more if they had access to those tests. President trump released National Guidelines monday designed to help control the spread of covid19, including avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people, stopping discretionary travel, avoiding restaurants, bars, gyms, and other Public Places for the next two weeks. Trump appeared to acknowledge the severity of the pandemic for the first time, saying, this is a bad one. This is a very bad one. Its just so contagious. Trump responded to a reporter asking him to rate his administrationons response to e pandemic. Pres. Trump i would rate it at 10. I think we have done a great job. It started with the fact we kept very highly infected country, despite even the professionals saying, no, it is too early to do that, we were very, very early with respect to china. In we would have a whole different situation in this country if we did not do that. I would rate ourselves and the professionals i think the professionals have done a fantastic job. Amy the reporter asked him to write the u. S. Response on a dell of one to 10. President trump said 10. Medical and Public Health experts say trumps early dismissal and delayed response to the outbreak contributed to coronavirus spreading undetected for weeks. Trump again attacked new York Governor Andrew Cuomo monday, tweeting just had a vevery goodd teteleconference withth natios governors. Went very well. Cuomo of new york has to do more. New york recently closed all its schools, restaurants Entertainment Venues in an , effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. Residents across six counties in the San Francisco bay area have been ordered to shelter in place until april 7. The directive affects around 7 Million People. As of monday, 37 states and the diststrictf columbiaia have movd to close Public Schools in some way. Y. Over 37 Million Students and their families are being affected. Many districts are implementing alternative plans so that students who need it can still receive free meals. Ththe u. S. Supreme court is delaying oral arguments. Its the first time the court has taken such measures since the 1918 spanish flu epidemic. The court was scheduled to hear arguments later this month around trumps attempts to shield his tax returns and financial documements from lawmakers and a new york prosecutor. The u. S. Airline industry is seeking a 50 billion bailout package to cope with the fallout of the outbreak. Trump tweeted monday the United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, Like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the chinese virus. We will be stronger than ever before the centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have explicitly warned that referring to covid19 as a a chinese viruss not accurate and further fuels racism against Chinese People and other people of asian descent. Trump did not offer similar assistance to homeless people, the uninsured or unemployed , and workers affected by the pandemic. In election news, kentucky became the latest state to postpone its primary over the outbreak. Meanwhile, in ohio, which was set to vote today, the fate of the primary is uncertain after Governor Mike Dewine ordered officials to not open polling places, despite a judge denying a last minute bid to delay the election. In the end, the election primaries have been postponed in ohio. Elecection officials in ararizo, florida, and illinois said their primaries will proceed as scheduled d today. In ohio, the aclu welcomed the release of vulnerablble prisoner inin Cuyahoga County during g te pandemic. The prisoners either had their cases settled or were released on house arrest. The aclu and other Rights Groups are calling on prisons around the United States to release highrisk and elderly prisons. Meanwhile, in new york, an investigator with the department of correction died after cocontracting covid19. The e investigator has limiteded contact with prisoners according to officials, but his death further fueled concerns over how to protect prisons during the outbreak. The new York City Department of correction said monday i it was suspending inperson visits starting this s week. In new york city and other locations around the country, st. Patricks Day Celebrations have been canceled or postponed. Its the first time the event has been called off in new york city in over 250 years. Other major annual events, including the kentucky derby, have also been called off. Major League Baseball became the latest sporting orgaganization o suspend its season after recent. Amazon said monday it would hire an additional 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers to handle a surge in online shopping. A Government Official said monday the first Clinical Trial of a Coronavirus Vaccine had begun. It could take from one year up to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine. The white house said more coronavirus drivethrough and walkthrough t test locations wl open this week. This comes as German Biotech Firm curevac has denied reports trump attempted to get exclusive rights to a Coronavirus Vaccine it is developing. Reports emerged over the weekend that trump offered the curevac ceo around 1 billion for the rights, which would make the vaccine available only in the unitited states. Curevacs majority owner, cofounder of German Software giant sap, reportedly confirmed the conversation took place despite the recent denial. German officials also confirmed the story and rejected the idea, saying if a vaccine is developed in germany, then it is for germany and the world. The white house has also denied the reports. The dow dropped nearly 3000 points and the s p 500 fell about 12 monday, the largest drop since 1987s black monday, despite the fed cutting Interest Rates to near zero. Over the weekend, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said the stock market turmoil is a great Investment Opportunity for longterm investment. A reporter asked trump monday if the economy was headed toward a recession. Pres. Trump well, it may be. Were not thinking in terms of recession, we are thinking in terms of the virus. I think there is a pentup demand both in terms of the stock market and the economy. Once this goes away, once it goes through and we are done with it, i think youre going to see a tremendous surge. Amy in grgreece, a chilild was kikilled by a fifire at an overcrowded migrant camp on th island olelesbos monday. Y. The e girl was belelieved to bex or sevenears old. The cause e of the fire hahas nt beenen confirmed. The moriria camp, whicich has a cacapacity of leless than 300000 people, is n now housi o over 19,000 refugees. Doctors withthout borders s urgd greece on susunday to immemediay evacuate r refugees living in overcrowdeded camps becacause of fears the e coronavirus s would quickly spiral out of control if it reached the camps. In israel, president Reuven Rivlin has asked former army chief and head of the blue and white party, benny gantz, to form a new government in the latest blow to Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu. Netanyahus likud party received more votes than gantz in this months election, but gantz received endorsements from enough lawmakers to narrowly hold a majority support. The United States is pulling out of several key bases in iraq amid heightened tensions in the region. Two americans and one briton wewere killed and over a dozen others injured in a rocket attack on the Taji Military base near baghdad last week. The u. S. Responded b by launchig retaliatory airstrikes against iraniannbacked militia sites. On saturday, rockets struck a base h housing u. S. Troops. Secretary of state mike pompeo warned monday the u. S. Would take selfdefensive action if attacked. The New York Times is reporting Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell and other republican senators have been privately contacting conservative federal judges to urge them to retire, so they can be replaced while republicans still control the senate and trump is in the white house. Over 90 republicannominated judges would be eligible for senior status, which opens up their spots on the bench while allowing them to keep hearing cases and receive full pay. Trump has appointed over 180 federal judges since coming into office, including around 50 Appeals Court judges, which amounts to nearly one quarter of all federal Appeals Court judges. In missouri, a gunman opened fire at a gas station convenience store, killing five people, including himself. A Police Officer was also among the dead. The identity and the motive of the shooter have not yet been revealed. In maryland, the senate voted unanimously to pass a bill providing 580 million to the states four historically black colleges and universities over 10 years. The legislation was already approved in the maryland house. It is part of f a settlement ina lawsuit that alleges maryland consistently discriminated against and underfrfunded hbcu. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We begin todays show in spain, which is now the Second European country to impose a nationwide lockdown after 2000 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in 24hours and the number of reported deaths doubled. Spain now has the second most cases in europe after italy,and the highest number worldwide, fourth with nearly 10,000 infections a and nearly deatath. 500 spains interior minister fernando grandemarlaska announced the country was shutting down toto slow the sprd of coronavirus. Quote from 01 00 gmt this evening and until the declaration of the state of emergency is concluded, only spanish citizens, residents in spain, crossborder workers, and , ase who prove force measure situation of extreme poverty, will be allowed to International Territory by land. Amy is the European Union prepares to vote on a proposal to shut all external borders and impose the 30 day continent wide foreign travel ban, portugal has already suspended all Passenger Air and rail traffic with neighboring spain until april 15. At the border checkpoints, spain is now allowing only spaniards, residents of spain, crossborder workers, and diplomats to enter the country. There are only asking for identification. Nothing else. They should test as for fever because at the end, it is a checkpoint, but just for identification. Amy this comes as the spanish p private announced health care compapanies to bettr manage the pandemic. The spanish people came outside future medical workers in the street as the country prepared to shut down. In the Spanish Government has Just Announced a moratorium on mortgage payments and guaranteed that basic services water, gas, electricity will not be shut off or nonpayment during the crisis. For more, we go to madrid, spain, wher