Global travel restrictions are dramatically ramping up amid the growing coronavirus outbreak, with U.S. officials urging Americans abroad to return home or prepare to shelter in place and the entire state of California going into effective lockdown as confirmed U.S. cases doubled in the past 48 hours.
More than 10,000 people have died worldwide from covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And while the outbreak appears to have slowed in China — which on Friday reported no new local infections for a second consecutive day — concerns are growing in the region about a new wave of imported cases. Hong Kong on Friday reported its biggest daily jump in cases, including many that involved individuals with recent travel history.
In Italy, where the government is extending its large-scale lockdown, the death toll climbed to 3,405 on Thursday. More people have now died from the illness in Italy than in China, and morgues there are running out of space.
European and Asian markets notched strong gains Friday and U.S. stock futures rose after U.S. equity markets clawed back some ground on Thursday. But despite policymakers’ efforts to calm jittery markets, uncertainty lingers about the economic toll the pandemic will take on households as restrictions upend normal business.
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