The U.S. now has more than 120,123 confirmed cases, well surpassing Italy's 92,472 cases and China's 81,999 infections.
The United States became the first country to exceed 100,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus late Friday afternoon, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.
Deaths in the U.S. topped 2,000 as of Saturday afternoon. Globally, the count of people with the virus exceeded 652,079.
Coronavirus Pandemic Coverage
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis in the U.S.:
Trump Nixes Quarantine for NY, NJ and Conn., But CDC Issues Travel Advisory
The CDC has issued a domestic travel advisory for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as President Donald Trump walked back his consideration for a quarantine.
Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, among others, and that “a lot of the states that are infected but don’t have a big problem, they’ve asked me if I’ll look at it so we’re going to look at it.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who criticized the federal government’s response as his state became the country’s virus epicenter, said the issue had not come up in a conversation he had with Trump earlier Saturday.
“I don’t even know what that means,” the Democrat said at a briefing in New York. “I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable, and from a medical point of view, I don’t know what you would be accomplishing. ... I don’t like the sound of it.”
Illinois Sees First Known Infant Virus Death in US
An Illinois infant died from the coronavirus, health officials said Saturday, marking the first infant death from the virus in the United States.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said there hasn't been a death associated with the new coronavirus in an infant, and she again urged people to do all they can to prevent the spread of the virus.
Children have made up a small fraction of coronavirus cases worldwide. A letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Chinese researchers earlier this month reported the death of a 10-month-old with COVID-19.
Read the full story here.
Music Fest, Barbecue Contest in Tenn. Are Rescheduled
Memphis, Tennessee Tourism officials say the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest have been rescheduled for the fall after they were postponed because of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Memphis in May officials said in a statement that the barbecue cooking competition has been reset for Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. The music festival has been rescheduled for Oct. 16 through Oct. 18.
Both events are the cornerstones of the city's monthlong tourist event in May. They attract music fans and barbecue cooking teams from around the world.
The Great American River Run also had been postponed. It has been reset for Oct. 31.
Meanwhile, Elvis Presley's Graceland said it is extending its closure through April 19.
NY Coronavirus Cases Surpass 52K, 720 Deaths as More States Restrict Travel
The number of coronavirus cases in New York has soared to more than 52,315 with deaths surpassing 720 by Saturday afternoon, NBC New York reports, as more states have expanded restrictions on traveling New Yorkers.
New York City has shouldered the brunt of the impact, with nearly 26,700 cases across the five boroughs. Most of the patients are younger than 50.
"This doesn't attack the strong among us. It attacks the weak among us, the people we're supposed to protect," Cuomo said Friday. "These are our parents, our aunts and uncles, a relative who is sick. Every instinct says protect them, they need us. But those are the exact people this enemy attacks."
During yesterday's press conference, Cuomo said the state wants to build four more temporary hospitals in New York City within weeks, before coronavirus cases are projected to peak. The federal government is already constructing a hospital at a Manhattan convention center and a Navy hospital ship is due to arrive Monday in New York City, a global hotspot of the outbreak.
Governors in Texas, Florida, Maryland and South Carolina this week ordered people arriving from the New York area —including New Jersey and Connecticut — and other virus hot spots to self-quarantine for at least 14 days upon arrival.
Connecticut officials have also pleaded with New Yorkers and others from out of state to avoid visiting unless absolutely necessary.
But, in the most dramatic steps taken to date, Rhode Island State Police on Friday began pulling over drivers with New York plates so that National Guard officials can collect contact information and inform them of a mandatory, 14-day quarantine.
Rhode Island's Gov. Gina Raimondo ratcheted up the measures Friday afternoon, announcing she’ll also order the state National Guard to go door-to-door in coastal communities starting this weekend to find out whether any of the home's residents have recently arrived from New York and inform them of the quarantine order.
Life Across America During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Stories About How You Are Coping
Diana Farrell is pregnant in her third trimester, home with a toddler who is healthy now but who has had multiple lung infections and other illnesses over the last five months. A classical soprano who herself is recovering from pneumonia unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic, her performances have all been canceled or postponed.
“We are in total isolation to keep us both safe as possible, so my husband must report to work and make necessary runs for provisions,” said Farrell, who lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, in Orange County, California.
As the United States struggles to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, and local and state governments shut down nonessential businesses, people are grappling with how to survive during a pandemic unlike any in modern times. They are despairing over finances, fearful for themselves, their relatives and neighbors, uncertain about the future and watching a world come to a stop.
“I pray for the health and safety for the world,” said Sarah Miller of Bedford, Texas, a self-employed pet sitter and dog walker who has watched her business evaporate. We are all in this together.”
NBC Owned Television Stations asked viewers and readers how their lives have changed in the last two weeks. Read their stories here.
