[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. You are watching CNN Newsroom. Ahead this hour, do not enter. The European Union is set to take drastic action to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Fears over the pandemic take another bite out of global markets, the Dow suffering its worst point drop in history. And our new reality, we will speak with someone trying to adjust to life under lockdown. Good to have you with us. So, authorities around the world are taking dramatic measures to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The European Union is planning to close its borders to all nonessential travel. The move comes days after the World Health Organization said Europe is now the epicenter of the pandemic. After downplaying the threat for several weeks U.S. President Donald Trump admitted the outbreak isn't under control. And the recession is possible. He announced new guidelines urging Americans to stop most social activities for the next 15 days, and avoid groups of more than 10. And the WHO is urging countries to ramp up testing, as the best way to slow the viruses spread.
[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-general, World Health Organization:] You cannot fight a fire blindfolded, and we cannot stop this pandemic if we don't know who is infected. We have a simple message for all countries. Test, test, test.
[Church:] And CNN correspondents are covering the latest from across the globe. Al Goodman is in Madrid, Delia Gallagher is in Rome, and Jim Bittermann is in Paris. Good to see all of you. So, let's begin with Al and the latest in Spain. So, Al, what are the numbers that you have, the most up to date numbers from Spain and how is that country dealing with this.
[Al Goodman, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, Rosemary. The latest numbers more than 9,100 cases of coronavirus across the country and 309 deaths. About half of that is right here in the capital in the region of Madrid which is really taking the hardest hit of all of this. And this is a dramatic shift from just a little more than a week ago when Spain was behind Germany, behind France in a number of cases. Now it's the second biggest spot in Europe for the coronavirus after Italy. And there is a state of emergency that was announced at the beginning of the weekend, the Spaniards are beginning to understand how this works, basically it says stay at home except for certain activities that you can do outside of the home. There's kind of a do's and don'ts list. We are out in the streets and here's how here's what we found with our story. Yes, you can still walk your dog under Spain's state of emergency even as the nation battles the spread of coronavirus. Yes, you can still go to a pharmacy, some that are open look like this, and others like this, no access but actually open for business. The police are stepping up enforcement of these restrictions on movements. In Madrid, even using drones to tell people to go home. Most Spaniards aren't complying says this officer, but some are taking way too much time to walk the dog or shop for food a trick to stay outside longer. Police can issue fines to fight back starting at $100. "What's clear is that fines won't solve this," he says, "we all have to do this in solidarity knowing that everyone is staying at home." No, you can't attend mass in Catholic churches here in Madrid because priests are celebrating mass alone, shown only on TV or social media. "We have to be in solitary with other people like us going through difficulty," he says, so that this will last the shortest time possible. Yes, you can still shop for groceries but most people aren't wearing protection like this student of international relations.
[Martin Canales, Student:] Just in case because I've been having a cough, but I mean, I'm not worried, but just in case to prevent it, but I don't have any other symptoms, so I'm relaxed.
[Goodman:] Many others here aren't, the Spanish prime minister told the nation it could be weeks of difficult sacrifices. It's not just Spain's bars and restaurants that are closed, it's also the cultural sites like the Prado Art Museum here in Madrid or the Royal Palace which draws large number of visitors every year from Spain and abroad. Those closures and the stay-at-home order all aimed to reduce contact between people which experts say will eventually safe Spain from the coronavirus pandemic. Rosemary, another part of the story is the gratitude Spaniards are showing nightly on their balconies coming out chanting and cheering for the medical workers and the medical workers are responding in a video that's gone viral here in Spain with sign saying thank you. This is from a hospital in northern Spain, thank you, we understand it, thank you very much. Back to you, Rosemary.
[Church:] And we thank them across the globe. Many thanks to Al Goodman bringing us that report from Madrid. Let's turn to Delia Gallagher who joins us live from Rome. Delia, Italy's health care system has struggled, is still struggling to deal with this coronavirus outbreak. What's the latest from there?
[Delia Gallagher, Cnn Vatican Correspondent:] Well, Rosemary, there is a lot of pressure, particularly in the north, of course, if you consider that of the 28,000 cases that we have now. About half of those are in the north. And one of their problems is structures, hospital structures with enough beds for patients and enough ICU units. So, the Lombardi region has announced, for example, that they are building a new structure with some 400 beds. There's also an American NGO called Samaritans Purse, which is coming over to build another temporary hospital structure for another 60 beds and eight ICU units. So, there is a lot of activity happening in the north to try to help this crisis. Of course, the government has also announced a 25- billion-euro financial package, they say it's the first one, there should be another one in April that will go towards helping health care, and of course, families and workers who are going to lose wages because of this. There is a call for blood donations throughout the country. So that is another urgent need here in Italy. Pope Francis, as well, left the Vatican on Sunday. He walked the deserted streets of Rome. The Vatican said he was going to pray for an end to this epidemic. He went to a church which is known for a famous crucifix, Rosemary, that Romans believed back in 1522 helped to end the plague. So, you can still sense despite all of the pressure a great spirit here in Italy. Everybody is trying to show their support. Rosemary?
[Church:] Indeed. Many thanks to Delia Gallagher bringing us the latest from Rome. Now to CNN senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann who joins us live from Paris. And Jim, as we talked last hour the country's president doesn't think the French are taking this virus outbreak seriously. And now how is he going to change that attitude?
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Correspondent:] What had changed since the last night, Rosemary, he made a speech to the nation last night in no less than five times said we are at war against coronavirus. So, I think people were getting a message and he's sort of preach solidarity as the French do what they could individually to avoid contact with others. Just less than four hours from now the French have got to be where they're going because at that point the total lockdown takes place, a little bit like what Al was saying in Spain, the same sort of rules, you can go out for food, you can go out for essential activities, you can walk your dog. But beyond that no collected activities. And if you do go out you have to download from the internet, and I just get this morning, download this form and you have to fill it out, basically getting your name and address and it gives the reason why you're out there out and about and what kinds of things you'll be doing and where you will be and then you have to sign it and the paper with you. And when the police stop you, and they very well could, you have to fill this form. They could, because according to the interior minister, a- 100,000 police being mobilize across the country, basically to enforce the new rules. And there will be fines from 38 euros to 135 euros for people who are breaking the law or breaking these new rules. We'll see then how it goes. One of the things the president said last night was that in fact this will be in place for 15 days. This confine will be in place for 15 days. But this interior minister when he was talking about the rules later on said, it could be for long. So, 15 days that's the starting point but we'll see what happens after that. Rosemary.
[Church:] It is a brave new world, no doubt. Jim Bittermann joining us live from Paris. Many thanks. And as the coronavirus spreads faster in the United States officials are announcing stricter measures to fight the disease. Just ahead, the impact on daily life across the country. Back in just a moment.