A somber Trump urges Americans to follow virus guidelines

Racing to stall an expected surge of coronavirus cases, White House released a series of sweeping guidelines that for next 15 days will temporarily rewrite rms of American society.

President Donald Trump, employing a newly somber tone about crisis enveloping globe, urged all older Americans to stay home and everyone to avoid crowds and eating out at restaurants. president for first time ackwledged that pandemic may send ecomy into a recession and suggested that nation may be dealing with virus until “July or August.”

guidelines were released Monday to an uneasy country. stock market h its worst day since 1987, America's largest school system shut its doors and questions remained about ministration's ability to test for virus and provide hospital for those who fall ill.

Among new recommendations: Over next half month, Americans should t gar in groups of more than 10 people, schooling should be at home and discretionary travel and social visits should be avoided. If anyone in a household tests positive for virus, everyone who lives re should stay home. ministration did t say how old people should be to follow vice to stay home.

“We will rally toger as one nation and we will defeat virus,” Trump said. “We can turn corner and turn it quickly.”

president, when asked when pandemic would subside, said that “if we do a really good job" crisis could pass by height of summer. Dr. Anthony Fauci, ministration's infectious disease expert, did t challenge that claim.

Trump's prediction was far less optimistic than his earlier ones, when he insisted it could be over in weeks. He also ackwledged that virus may send nation's ecomy into a recession, a potentially brutal blow for an incumbent seeking reelection.

That mission was startling for Trump, who for two weeks h struck a discordantly optimistic tone about pandemic that endangered his presidency. On Monday that upbeat demear was gone as he ackwledged virus was “t under control” in United States or globally.

He said he did t yet plan to call for domestic travel restrictions while his ministration me pointed appeals to millennials to stop socializing and risk spreing virus. He was reluctant to vise states to cancel primary elections ahe. And without providing details, he said “we're going to back airlines 100%," a te of reassurance for an industry crippled by travel bans and fears of spreing virus.

expansive guidelines were issued on a day of fast-moving developments in a capital resplendent in cherry blossoms but awash in anxiety.

Congress convened to try to finish an aid pack and consider ar one behind it. Supreme Court postponed oral arguments for first time in over a century. And U.S. surgeon general said that United States is about where Italy was two weeks ago in coronavirus struggle, a sign that infections are expected to rise.

“When you look at projections, re's every chance that we could be Italy,” Surgeon General Dr. Jerome ams told Fox News. Yet he said U.S. has opportunities to mitigate pandemic.

Two weeks ago, Italy h 1,700 cases of coronavirus and h reported 34 deaths. w, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths. About 3,800 cases have been reported in United States and so far, more than 65 people have died from coronavirus. Although numbers may t be directly comparable, trajectory is, as ams sees it.

ministration also alleged that a foreign disinformation campaign was underway aimed at spreing fear among Americans alrey spooked by pandemic.

On Sunday, federal officials began confronting what y said was

And on Monday, national security officials said re h been a cyber attack involving computer networks of Health and Human Services, but networks were operating rmally. y didn’t detail nature or scope of problem or identify foreign entity.

On Fox News, ams claimed U.S. has "turned tide" on testing, a critical part of tracking and containing pandemics, but wher that is true remains to be seen. U.S. effort has been hobbled by a series of missteps, including flaws with testing kits first distributed by federal government and bureaucratic hurdles that held up testing by private laboratories.

On Capitol Hill, a nearly empty House met to opt a resolution to make what were described as technical changes to polish off a coronavirus response measure designed to speed testing for virus and provide sick leave to workers kept home because of it. It went into recess before opting measure, however.

measure is likely to pass Senate this week, though timing is uncertain. 100 senators, with a few exceptions, were expected to gar Monday evening, despite federal public-health guidelines prohibiting large garings.

Talks are alrey underway on ar bill to try to blunt dam virus is doing to ecomy. Senate Majority Leer Mitch McConnell said it will focus on direct financial help to individuals, help for businesses such as airline industry, and furr steps to support health system.

Nearby, Supreme Court said it is postponing arguments for late March and early April because of coronavirus, including a round over subpoenas for Trump’s financial records. last time oral arguments were postponed was in 1918, due to Spanish flu epidemic. In 2001, y were relocated, but t postponed, after an anthrax scare.

Within White House, pandemic altered daily life.

Everyone who entered complex was screened for a fever and reporters were d out in briefing room to reduce chance of spreing virus. And outgoing acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, isolated himself in South Carolina as his niece, who h flu-like symptoms and lives with him in Washington, awaited test results to see wher she has virus. Mulvaney has tested negative, but was isolating himself “out of an abundance of caution due to his proximity to President,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said.

Larry Kudlow, director of National Ecomic Council, said White House is working toward $800 billion in fiscal relief, with about half of that having been approved through executive actions and legislation and much of remainder being sought through a payroll tax cut that has been met coolly by both parties in Congress.

Federal Reserve said Sunday it was taking emergency action to slash its benchmark interest rate to near zero. But Fed's move did t calm markets. Dow Jones Industrial Aver finished Monday down nearly 3,000 points.

For most people, new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older ults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

vast majority of people recover. According to World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three weeks to six weeks to recover.

worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 180,000 people and killed more than 7,100.

Trump in recent days has imposed sweeping travel restrictions for much of Europe. On Saturday, he ded Britain and Ireland to a list of countries facing travel restrictions over next 30 days.