Italy records lowest daily increase in Covid-19 deaths in a week – as it happened

We’re closing this blog now. Follow me to the link below, where we’ll be bringing you rolling coverage of the pandemic, as confirmed cases worldwide near the one million mark:

Another iconic New York City landmark is being converted into a temporary hospital to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, joining Central Park.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home to the US Open, will relieve some of the pressure on one of the state’s hardest hit hospitals, Elmhurst in Queens.

It’s expected to open next week to treat Covid-19 patients who aren’t in need of intensive care. The facility is projected to hold 350 patients.

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Trump says the US will evacuate Canadian and British citizens from the stranded Zaandam cruise ship.

Here Trump is on the Canadian citizens:

The family of a British man who died on board the coronavirus-stricken ship earlier appealed to the US president to allow the ship to dock.

John Carter died on 22 March after falling unwell; one of four people to have died on the ship. The Zaandam, which is carrying more than 200 British nationals, is embroiled in a bitter dispute over plans to disembark passengers in the US.

It passed through the Panama Canal on Monday after being denied entry to several ports, and is seeking to dock in Florida later this week.

The White House briefing is over now. In jollier news, Country music icon Dolly Parton is making a $1 million donation to help fund coronavirus research, as well as taking time out every week to read children’s books online to kids everywhere.

The “9 to 5” singer, actress and philanthropist tweeted Wednesday that she’s donating the $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for coronavirus research.

Additionally, she’s working with her charity, The Imagination Library, to read a children’s book on YouTube every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST for 10 weeks. The Imagination Library provides children free books by mail every month and the program is available in all 50 states and five countries.

Here’s her shoutout to first responders and healthcare professionals:

A reporter asks about domestic violence concerns.

“Mexican violence?” Trump asks.

“Domestic violence,” the reporter clarifies.

Trump says it’s one of the costs of not getting our country, our economy going again.

“We have to get our country going again. We did the right thing. We had no choice. Other countries tried to use the herd [immunity].”

Trump is asking under which conditions he would consider suspending sanctions against Iran, which has the seventh-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world.

“They’re proud people.. they’re having a hard time picking up the phone? They’re having a hard time setting up the meeting?”

“All they have to do is call.”

Trump is being asked about religious services - should pastors be holding services in the middle of this pandemic? The reporter references the Florida pastor who held services over the weekend with several hundred people.

“My greatest disappointment is that churches can’t meet in this time of need...” he doesn’t answer the question but says “you have to be very careful.”

US Vice President Mike Pence is speaking now – Trump has asked him to respond to a question regarding the government’s decision not to reopen the Obamacare health exchanges – saying it has been a priority of Trump’s to ensure no American pays healthcare costs related to coronavirus.

Pence is now speaking about how “inspiring” it has been to see American businesses, including private health insurance executives, step up to handle the crisis.

He says two of the largest insurance companies have said they will waive co-pay costs and he expects others to follow.

Trump says that was “one of the greatest answers he’s ever heard because Mike [Pence] was able to speak for five minutes and not answer your [the reporter’s] question.”

You can watch the White House press briefing live here:

Trump says he’s considering ending domestic flights between hotspots. “That is a calculation that we’re looking at right now.”

Fact check: Florida cases

Asked why the federal government hasn’t declared a national shelter-in-place order, leaving it instead to governors, Trump said it was about flexibility – not every state is in the same situation, so responses should be flexible.

Florida doesn’t “have thousands of people who are positive,” he said, as an example. Florida, in fact has nearly 7,000 confirmed cases.

Staying with the White House press briefing for now, Trump said that the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment is nearly empty. “It is,” he said. “Because we’re sending it directly to hospitals.”

Earlier, CNN reported that the “Strategic National Stockpile is deploying the last round of shipments in its inventory, depleting the bulk of its protective gear.”

Hi, Helen Sullivan with you now, picking up the baton from my colleague Kevin Rawlinson.