Coronavirus cases in the US on Thursday exceeded 1,500 and have now been confirmed in 46 states as markets plunged, more schools closed and gatherings were banned across the country.
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 1,504 cases in the US, The New York Times reported.
Washington state continued to report the highest number of new infections, confirming 373, while Wyoming, North Dakota and Maine each registered one case.
Nearly 40 deaths have been reported across the US so far.
Financial markets continued to plummet after a speech by US President Donald Trump announcing a 30-day travel ban extending across most of Europe.
The Dow Jones was down 2,100 points, or 8.9 per cent, in the early afternoon, while the S&P 500 was off by 8.2 per cent.
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A fence secured with a lock and chain is seen at the entrance to the New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, New York, USA. Bloomberg -
A worker staffs a security checkpoint in the international terminal at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois. AFP -
A man stops with a bicycle near a drawing of a person wearing a mask in a wall, in central Barcelona, Spain. Reuters -
A man washes his hands at the University Medical Center in Groningen, The Netherlands. EPA -
A man walks past the closed Air France counters at the Terminal 1 section at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. AFP -
Empty shelves are seen at a supermaket in Lublin, eastern Poland. EPA -
Health workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus in the Al-omari Mosque in Gaza City. AP Photo -
A father puts a protective face mask on his son face, before entering a makeshift coronavirus testing centre at the Mishref Fair Grounds in Kuwait city, Kuwait. Reuters -
Workers disinfect as a precaution against coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 11, 2020. AP -
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the media during a meeting with bankers on the coronavirus response at the White House, March 11, 2020. Reuters -
US actor Tom Hanks and his wife, US actress Rita Wilson, arrive at the European premiere of their movie 'The Post' in London, Britain, 10 January 2018. They have both tested positive for coronavirus. EPA -
Women wear protective face masks at Imam Ali Shrine in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq March 11, 2020. Reuters -
Travellers and airport staff walk through Robert Mugabe International airport in Harare, Wednesday, March, 11, 2020. AP Photo -
Workers in protective suits disinfect Dolmabahce Palace due to coronavirus concerns in Istanbul, Turkey March 11, 2020. Reuters -
Visitors wearing protective face masks visit the tsunami museum in Banda Aceh on March 11, 2020. AFP -
A passenger sits in a bus in Karachi on March 11, 2020. AFP -
A police officer stands guard at the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square and its main basilica on March 11, 2020. AFP -
Colombian students pose for a picture wearing face masks made of recyclable and biodegradable materials, as a form of protest against the shortage of face masks in pharmacies, at Julio Cesar Turbay school, in Soacha, Colombia, on March 11, 2020. AFP -
Passengers who were on the Carnaval Corp. Grand Princess cruise ship board a chartered plane at the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California, US, on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Bloomberg -
An airline worker stands in the empty international terminal at LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, US, March 11, 2020. Reuters -
A cleaning crew disinfects and removes protective clothing after exiting the Life Care Center on March 11, 2020 in Kirkland, Washington. Getty Images/AFP -
A general view before the 69th NBA All-Star Game at the United Center on February 16, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The NBA will suspend play starting on March 12, 2020 after a Utah Jazz player preliminarily tested positive for the new coronavirus, the league said Wednesday. AFP -
Passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship are assisted boarding a charter plane at the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California, USA, 11 March 2020. EPA
Disney announced it would close its theme parks from Friday until the end of the month starting on Friday for what is reportedly only the fourth time.
The other three closures followed the September 11 attacks, the Northridge earthquake and the national day of mourning after the assassination of President John F Kennedy.
Questions were raised on Thursday about Mr Trump’s exposure to the virus, after Fabio Wajngarten, communications secretary to Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive. He met the US President last week in Florida.
Mr Wajngarten posted a photograph on Instagram with Mr Trump and Vice President Mike Pence from March 8, prompting calls to test the US leaders.
But White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham insisted the two had “almost no interactions” and that there was no need for a test.
The fast-spreading virus also forced more US politicians to quarantine themselves, bringing the number up to nine.
Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Doug Collins, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Mark Meadows, Julia Brownley, Rick Scott, and Don Beyer have now isolated themselves to contain the spread of the virus.
But the Senate on Thursday cancelled its week-long pause to address the coronavirus outbreak and pass legislation.
The Democratic frontrunner for presidential candidacy, Joe Biden, without mentioning Mr Trump by name, criticised his administration’s response to the crisis.
In Delaware on Thursday, Mr Biden said that downplaying the pandemic “or spreading misinformation is only going to hurt us and further advantage the spread of the disease. But neither should we panic or fall back on xenophobia".
“Labelling Covid-19 a foreign virus does not displace accountability for the misjudgments,” he said.
Mr Biden called for a more urgent search for vaccines and a greater economic response.
Across the US, states including New York and Utah banned large gatherings, while Maryland ordered all schools to be closed.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association said on Thursday that it would cancel its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments because of Covid-19, following suit with the NBA and other sports leagues that have cut fixtures
