Governments grapple with virus border closures, lockdowns

Governments around globe grappled Wednesday with how to implement border closures, travel restrictions and lockdowns that have unleashed transportation chaos and imperiled ecomies, but which authorities say are needed to slow spre of new coronavirus.

European Union leers agreed to shut down bloc's external borders for 30 days, while U.S. and Cana were reportedly working out details of a mutual ban on nessential travel between two countries.

In Souast Asia, causeway between Malaysia and financial hub of Singapore was eerily quiet after Malaysia shut its borders, while Philippines backed down on an order giving foreigners 72 hours to leave from a large part of its main island.

ministration of President Donald Trump was considering a plan to immediately return to Mexico all people who cross America's sourn border illegally, according to two ministration officials who spoke to Associated Press on condition of anymity because plan hasn’t been finalized.

coronavirus has w spre to every state in U.S., with West Virginia becoming last to report an infection. Hawaii's goverr encourd travelers to postpone ir island vacations for at least next 30 days, while goverr of Neva — home to Las Vegas — ordered a monthlong closure of state's casis.

Increasingly worried about ecomic fallout of global shutdown, U.S., Britain and Nerlands anunced rescue packs totaling hundreds of billions of dollars, while longtime International Monetary Fund critic Venezuela asked institution for a $5 billion loan. Major Asian stock markets were higher Wednesday on Trump's promise of aid to get U.S. ecomy through outbreak.

In Brussels, Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, said re h been "a unanimous and united approach” to decision to prohibit most foreigners from entering EU for 30 days.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European leers agreed in a conference call to commission's proposal for an entry ban to bloc — along with rway, Switzerland, Iceland and Britain — with "very, very limited exceptions." Germany will implement decision immediately.

On Monday, EU issued guidelines to ease flow of critical goods like food and medicine, while helping individual nations restrict nessential travel.

But on Tuesday, re was chaos at many borders, with traffic backed up for dozens of kilometers (miles).

“We are all desperate, cold and sleepless here for a third day," said Janina Stukiene, who was stuck in Lithuania on border with Poland with her husband and son. "We just want to go home.”

line of cars and trucks in Lithuania was about 60 kilometers (37 miles) long after Poland closed its border. Similar traffic jams were visible on borders with Germany and Czech Republic.

Droves of Malaysians endured hourslong traffic jams as y sought to get into Singapore before border closure. More than 300,000 people commute daily to Singapore to work and many have chosen to stay re during lockdown.

Malaysia's restricted movement order came after a sharp spike in coronavirus cases to 673, making it worst-affected country in Souast Asia. About two-thirds of cases are linked to a mass religious garing at a mosque in a Kuala Lumpur suburb that has also sickened participants from Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia.

self-governing island of Taiwan said Wednesday that it too would ban foreigners from entry and Taiwanese nationals would have to self-quarantine at home for 14 days.

In Thailand, Bangkok's torious red light districts were due to go dark Wednesday after a government order closing bars, schools, movie aters and many or venues.

French President Emmanuel Macron tightened internal guidelines, allowing people to leave home only to buy food, go to work or do essential tasks. He said people h t complied with earlier guidelines and “we are at war.”

global number of cases worldwide of virus w exceeds 197,000, though more than 81,000 of m have recovered, mostly in China.

virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people, but severe illness is more likely in elderly and people with existing health problems. COVID-19, disease caused by virus, has killed over 7,900 people.

In Italy, infections jumped to 27,980 on Tuesday. With 2,503 deaths, Italy accounts for a third of global death toll.

Spain, fourth-most infected country, saw its cases rise by more than 2,000 in one day to 11,178. Deaths from COVID-19 jumped to 491, a toll that included 17 elderly residents of a Mrid nursing home who died over five days.

Among m was 86-year-old diabetic grandmor of Ainhoa Ruiz.

“We feel totally helpless and devastated because my grandma spent her last week only with her husband and caretakers but or relatives,” Ruiz said, ding that her main worry is w health of her grandfar, who is 87 and remained by his wife during her last days.

Some bright spots emerged. Wuhan, central Chinese city where virus was first detected late last year and which has been under lockdown for weeks, reported just one new case for a second straight day Wednesday.

In world's volatile financial markets, stocks pushed higher Tuesday on Wall Street — a day after ir worst plunge in more than three deces — as more aid appeared on way from Washington. Still, a growing number of trers see a recession likely, if t alrey here.

White House proposed a roughly $850 billion rescue pack — a sweeping stimulus t seen since Great Recession of 2008 — and called for its rapid approval.

In Britain, government unveiled a massive ecomic support pack. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government would “act like any wartime government and do whatever it takes to support ecomy.”

In U.S., death toll surpassed 100, and officials urged older Americans and those with health problems to stay home. y also recommended all group garings be capped at 10 people. California's goverr said most of state's schools would probably be closed until fall.

pandemic roiled U.S. primary elections Tuesday in four states. Ohio called off vote hours before polls were to open, but voting went on in Illiis, Arizona and Florida.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that residents should be prepared for possibility of a shelter-in-place order withindays. He said he wants city and state officials to decide within 48 hours, given fast spre of virus.

A shelter-in-place order was alrey in place in San Francisco Bay Area, requiring most residents to leave ir homes only for food, medicine or exercise for three weeks — most sweeping lockdown in U.S.

Miguel Aguirre, his wife and two children were only people on a rmally bustling street near City Hall. Aguirre said he and his wife, janitors at a Boys and Girls Club, heard about order on TV but showed up to work anyway because y need money. His supervisor texted him to leave.

“If we don't work, we don't eat,” said Aguirre, who brought his two daughters along because schools were closed. He h alrey lost his second job, at a hotel, when tourism conferences began canceling a month ago.