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Happening Now
Southern Europe is struggling under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, with gasping patients filling hospitals in Spain and Italy as the global toll surpassed 10,000 people. In the U.S., California’s governor expanded restrictions on nonessential movement for all 40 million residents, and the Trump administration warned Americans abroad to return home or risk spending an “indefinite” period away.

Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street Friday at the end of another turbulent week.

U.S. officials are expected to announce new restrictions on the Southern border Friday as they try to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Few worshippers pray at the Rosebank Catholic Church In Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 19, 2020. South Africa imposed restrictions and banned gathering of 100 and more in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. For some people the COVID-19 coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, but for some it causes severe illness. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Iran’s leaders vowed to overcome the new coronavirus outbreak in upbeat messages marking the Persian New Year on Friday, even as the Health Ministry announced 149 more fatalities, bringing the country’s death toll to 1,433.

Anxiety rose in Africa’s richest nation Friday as South Africa said coronavirus cases jumped to 202, the most in the sub-Saharan region, while the continent’s busiest airport said foreigners cannot disembark. State-owned South African Airways suspended all international flights until June.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., sold as much as $1.7 million in stocks just before the market dropped in February amid fears about the coronavirus epidemic.

Find full virus outbreak coverage here.

The majority of U.S. renters, some of whom have lost their jobs in the sudden economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, will not be eligible for eviction protections, despite what President Donald Trump said this week.

The White House coronavirus task force meets every day but Sunday in the windowless Situation Room. There, fueled by coffee, doughnuts and data, officials study the spread of the disease as they weigh next steps in the fight against a virus that has dramatically altered American lives.

Flower growers from the Netherlands bulb fields to hothouses in Kenya are seeing sales plummet because of border restrictions sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

Some city folk have been fleeing to their second homes in resort areas to ride out the coronavirus outbreak. But neighbors in many of those places are yanking the welcome mat, fearing infection and an overwhelming of already stretched resources.

What’s Ahead
UPCOMING by 11 a.m. Eastern/1500 GMT: Orthodox Jewish representatives are urging congregants to heed social distancing rules designed to fight the coronavirus, a show of unity designed to underscore the importance of behavioral changes that create massive upheaval in their faith communities.

UPCOMING by 12 p.m. Eastern/1600 GMT: A surge in working and studying from home to limit the spread of the new coronavirus amounts to a massive, unplanned social experiment. It’s also challenging the capacity of telecommuting platforms that were already becoming popular for some office-based workers but are experiencing unprecedented demand.

Find full virus outbreak coverage here.

Images of the Day

A street vendor, Abderrahim, 55, poses for a portrait while wearing a makeshift face mask made of fig leaves, in the Medina of Rabat, Morocco, March 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)

Streets and sidewalks in major cities around the world have been left empty amid restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease. Many of those wandering outside have done so with caution, wearing facemasks — sometimes makeshift — and taking extreme measures to decontaminate themselves. Here’s a look at 24 hours around the globe.

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