Congress’ $300B package for small businesses may only last days: report

Bank officials have reportedly warned that the $450 billion package to replenish the earlier small business emergency fund will likely have a burn rate of $50 billion per day and run out of money in just a few days.
Banks have been warning customers that are qualified for a loan that not every business will receive one, Politico reported.
Banking representatives told the website that for the package to have any significant effect on demand, it would have to approach $1 trillion.
Richard Hunt, the president of the Consumer Bankers Association, told Politico that the new funds would be gone “at most” in 72 hours
“But the odds are more like 48 hours,” he said.
House Democrats and Republicans are continuing to discuss the deal that would go to boost a small-business payroll loan program that’s out of money.
Additional help would be given to hospitals, and billions more would be spent to boost testing for the virus, a key step in building the confidence required to reopen state economies.
The House has announced it could meet as soon as Wednesday for a vote on the pending package, according to a schedule update from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
The chamber is likely to have to call lawmakers back to Washington for a vote, which will present logistical challenges.
Senate Democrats last week rejected a request by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to give unanimous consent to legislation that would have added $250 billion to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been criticized by Republicans again for holding up funding, told “Fox News Sunday” that there has been progress.
“They will have more money as soon as we come to an agreement -- which will be soon,” she said. “And I think people will be very pleased because these small businesses must thrive in a community where they’re, again, health is essential to them opening up.”
The Politico report said that some banks are already preparing their customers about hardships to obtain these loans.
The website reported that PNC, a top bank, that “it is likely that not every qualified applicant will receive loan proceeds under the PPP even if Congress authorizes funding.”
Fox News’ Ron Blitzer and the Associated Press contributed to this report

Trump video mocking Obama's Biden endorsement outpaces viewership of Obama address within hours

It appears President Trump had the last laugh as his satirical video mocking President Obama's recent endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden has garnered more views within hours than Obama's 12-minute address did in the last week.
Obama endorsed his former running mate after all of Biden's primary rivals withdrew from the presidential race. The widely publicized endorsement received 10.2 million views since last Tuesday.
However, the video Trump shared surpassed Obama's video, earning 10.3 million views within roughly 13 hours despite the former president's remarks still having more likes and retweets.
The video – which was not produced by the campaign – parodies an Allstate commercial with the insurance company's spokesman Dennis Haysbert watching a basketball game with his friends before a commercial of Haysbert advertising Allstate appears on the screen. In the original ad, Haysbert's friends implore him to change the channel, which he does, only to find another Allstate ad starring himself.
In the video Trump tweeted, Obama's head is obviously superimposed over Haysbert's, and instead of an Allstate commercial, a fake Biden ad appears on the TV when the basketball game goes to commercial.
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"The kids used to come up and reach in the pool and rub my leg down so it was straight and then watch the hair come back up again," Biden says in the fake ad. "I learned about kids jumping on my lap, and I loved kids jumping on my lap."
The ad might be fake, but it uses a real quote by the former vice president from June 2017 in which he was describing his time as a lifeguard at a Delaware pool when he was younger. The Biden comments were not nefarious and were not the main subject of the speech he was giving, but have been seized on by his opponents previously to illustrate the candidate's gaffe-prone nature.
The video Trump tweeted shows Obama shrugging and saying "what" to the others looking at him just as Haysbert does in the original Allstate commercial.
Obama offered his formal endorsement to the presumptive Democratic nominee one day after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who withdrew from the race, offered his endorsement.
“Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend. And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now,” Obama said.
Pointing to the severe challenges the nation faces as it copes with the coronavirus pandemic, the former president said, “Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. And I know he’ll surround himself with good people – experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government."
And Obama stressed that Biden's a stronger presidential contender after surviving a historic primary field that peaked at some 25 White House hopefuls.
“Now Joe will be a better candidate for having run the gauntlet of primaries and caucuses alongside one of the most impressive Democratic fields ever. Each of our candidates were talented and decent, with a track record of accomplishment, smart ideas, and serious visions for the future," the former president noted.
Fox News' Tyler Olson, Paul Steinhauser, and Mike Emmanuel contributed to this report. 

Trump to 'suspend immigration into the United States' by executive order amid coronavirus

President Trump announced late Monday he will soon sign an executive order "to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States," in what appeared to be a drastic escalation of his efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and boost the economy.
The declaration came hours after U.S. equity markets plunged, with oil prices turning negative for the first time in history. Also on Monday, three states -- Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina -- revealed plans to begin reopening some businesses.
"In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" the president tweeted.
The precise contours of the president's planned executive order were not immediately clear. The White House did not immediately elaborate on Trump's tweeted announcement.
Politico reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was still working out the details of the executive order, and that an exemption for temporary guest workers, including farm workers, was under consideration.
A top DHS official told the outlet that “22 million unemployed Americans and counting due to COVID-19" had prompted Trump to act.
Due to the pandemic, almost all visa processing by the State Department, including immigrant visas, has been suspended for weeks.
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, applauded the planned executive order, and suggested a total immigration suspension should continue indefinitely. "Thank you, @realDonaldTrump!" he wrote. "All immigration to the United States should halt until every American who wants a job has one!"
"Given tens of millions of Americans are out of work right now and we’re battling a virus that spreads through human-to-human transmission I am dying to hear one coherent argument against this," wrote Spectator USA's Washington editor Amber Athey.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., meanwhile, said Trump was looking for "someone to blame for his own failure."
CORONAVIRUS TIMELINE SHOWS MULTIPLE FLIP-FLOPS BY JOURNOS, DEMS
"Immigration has nearly stopped and the US has far more cases than any other country," Beyer wrote, without adjusting his statistic to consider the larger population in the United States. "This is just xenophobic scapegoating."
Added Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.: "Trump failed to take this crisis seriously from day 1. His abandonment of his role as president has cost lives. And now, he's shamelessly politicizing this pandemic to double down on his anti-immigrant agenda. Enough, Mr. President. The American people are fed up."
Aside from the pending immigration ban, the U.S. has already enacted a slew of entry restrictions. The U.S. recently agreed with both Canada and Mexico to extend border restrictions on nonessential travel for another 30 days, through May 16 and May 19, respectively. And, the president already has blocked most travel from other hotspots, including most of Europe, Iran, South Korea, and China.
AOC CELEBRATES OIL CRASH IN NOW-DELETED TWEET
However, people with temporary work visas, students and business travelers were exempted, along with emergency personnel.
More than 750,000 Americans have come down with COVID-19 and more than 42,000 have died. On Monday, the U.S. government said it will continue to quickly expel migrants it encounters along the border with Mexico for at least another month in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jeanette Vizguerra wears a face mask during a car protest calling for the release of detainees at the GEO Immigration Detention Center because of the dangers posed by the new coronavirus Friday, April 17, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Under the U.S. policy change spurred by the virus, the U.S. government has sent some 10,000 Mexicans and Central Americans back to Mexico, according to data from the U.S.Border Patrol.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says that more than 100 migrants at 25 detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19. Guatemala claims that 44 migrants deported from the U.S. tested positive.
Monday's immigration suspension was likely to draw legal challenges, and reignite an already heated debate over travel restrictions. On Jan. 31, Trump issued the "Proclamation on Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus," blocking most travel from China -- and at the time, Democrats harshly criticized the move.
Within hours, Joe Biden campaigned in Iowa and told the crowd that Americans “need to have a president who they can trust what he says about it, that he is going to act rationally about it. ... This is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysteria and xenophobia – hysterical xenophobia – and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science.”
Months later, Biden said he supported the China travel ban.
Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stay at home Cartoons

Protesters rally against Washington stay-at-home orders

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered at the Washington state Capitol on Sunday to protest Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus, holding signs that read “End The Shutdown” and “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Covid 19!”

Earlier Sunday Inslee again blasted President Donald Trump’s call to “liberate” parts of the country from social-distancing decrees, saying Trump is fomenting a potentially deadly “insubordination” before the pandemic is contained.

In Olympia, some protesters wore masks while others waved American flags and pushed baby strollers. Tyler Miller, one of the organizers of the event, had said rural areas should be treated differently than more urban locations with more coronavirus cases. He also said Inslee’s decisions on what constitutes essential businesses has been unfair and unconstitutional.

At the rally, Miller spoke to attendees through a bullhorn: “We cannot have a government and a governor that does not listen to his own citizens.”

Inslee’s comments about Trump and the protests were on ABC-TV’s “ This Week. ” Protests have occurred across the country, including in Utah, Idaho and Oregon. But both Democratic and Republican governors have said strict social distancing is essential to curbing the pandemic’s spread.

Asked about Trump’s tweets last week that included “Liberate Michigan” and “Liberate Virginia” from governors’ orders, Inslee replied: “I don’t know any other way to characterize it, when we have an order from governors, both Republicans and Democrats, that basically are designed to protect people’s health, literally their lives, to have a president of the United States basically encourage insubordination, to encourage illegal activity.”

“To have an American president to encourage people to violate the law, I can’t remember any time during my time in America where we have seen such a thing,” Inslee continued.

The Democratic governor said Trump’s statements were “doubly frustrating” and exhibited “such a schizophrenia” because they contradict guidelines on reopening state economies issued last week by the White House.

On Friday, when asked about about the planned protest in his own state, Inslee said people were “welcome” to express their First Amendment rights but encouraged those at the rally to practice social distancing.

Washington has about 11,800 confirmed virus cases and at least 634 deaths, according to the state Department of Health. As of Friday, the health department said there were 11,802 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state but “data cleaning” late Saturday showed 190 of them were among people who live out of state, authorities said. The corrected number of confirmed cases in Washington now stands at 11,790, the agency said Sunday.

Inslee, who also criticized Trump’s tweets on Friday, has said he is planning to reopen the economy in phases, likely starting with businesses. The governor has said some restrictions could potentially stay in place beyond May 4.

State authorities said Sunday they were recalling 12,000 COVID-19 test kits distributed to municipalities, tribal nations and state agencies because of possible contamination issues but that patients aren’t at risk and test results aren’t affected.

UW Medicine alerted the state to the problem, which involves a fluid that preserves nasal and oral patient samples during transport. A handful of vials containing the fluid were an unusual color, leading UW Medicine to notify state officials, the Department of Health said. The kits were procured by UW Medicine and donated to the state by China-based Lingen Precision Medical Products.

An email sent to Lingen for comment wasn’t immediately returned Sunday.

The state said it was working to replace the test kits as quickly as possible.

Washington state had the nation’s first confirmed coronavirus case in January and the first deadly cluster at a Seattle-area nursing home.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

On Friday, Washington state Republican legislative leaders released their plan for reopening Washington’s economy. It specifies some lower-risk industries — such as residential construction, auto dealers and solo landscapers — that could reopen soon.

Lockdown tensions grow as people seek to resume work or play

People wearing protective masks queue up to go in a garden store in Munich, Germany, Monday, April 20, 2020.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus is touching all levels of society and increasing tensions as governments start to ease restrictions that health experts warn should be done gradually to avoid a resurgence of the illness that has killed more than 165,000 people.

The mounting pressure was evident in the United States. The Trump administration says parts of the nation are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy. Yet some state leaders say woefully inadequate federal action, like a lack of testing supplies, is hindering their response to the illness.

After insisting the country’s virus testing system was without fault, President Donald Trump said Sunday evening he would be using the Defense Production Act to compel increased manufacturing of testing swabs. He also remained defensive, however, vowing that there were enough swabs to go around. “Swabs are easy,” the president said, bringing one to his news briefing and waving it in front of reporters.

Trump also defended protests by his supporters, who have been gathered to demand state governors lift controls on public activity that were meant to stop the spread of the virus. The president has invoked their rallying cry and said Sunday night, “these people love our country. They want to go back to work.”

Shutdowns have disrupted economic, social, cultural and religious life and plunged the world into an economic slump unseen since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

The International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to contract 3% this year. Tens of millions of workers have lost their jobs and millions more fear they’ll be next.

A few countries are acting to ease restrictions and resume economic activity, but most of the world agrees the steps must be gradual.

China, where the pandemic began, has lifted travel and other restrictions, but customer traffic has been slow to return. And masks and temperature checks are routine.

India eased the world’s largest lockdown to allow some manufacturing and agricultural activity to resume — if employers can meet social distancing and hygiene standards. Companies are required to transport and shelter their workers, which few of them are able to do. India also recorded its biggest single-day spike in cases, adding more than 1,500 as it works to increase testing, stock up equipment and prepare hospital beds for more patients.

Germany intends to begin allowing some small stores, like those selling furniture and baby goods, to reopen. Albania plans to let its mining and oil industries reopen, along with hundreds of businesses. New Zealand extended its lockdown another week, but workers at some businesses such as construction and manufacturing will be able to resume their jobs soon.

The number of confirmed infections with the new coronavirus has surpassed 2.4 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The true figures are likely significantly higher since mild infections can be missed, testing is limited and some countries tried to underplay their outbreaks or were too overwhelmed to effectively count them.

The death toll in the U.S., the worst-hit country by far, was more than 40,000 with over 750,000 confirmed infections.

The virus has reached all levels of society. At least 20 employees at Afghanistan’s presidential palace have tested positive, said a senior government official who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to comment on the subject.

It wasn’t clear whether President Ashraf Ghani had been in contact with any of the employees or whether he had been tested himself. Ghani has reportedly been self-quarantining. At 70 and a cancer survivor, Ghani is at a high risk for serious illness.

The virus claimed an unlikely victim, as well: tens of thousands of tulips in full bloom in Japan. They were a centerpiece of an annual festival near Tokyo that was canceled this year. But people were still gathering to admire the flowers, so the decision was made to raze them. All that remains are red and yellow petals lying smashed on the ground.

“This situation is now about human life,” said Takahiro Kogo, a city official overseeing the park. “It was a heart-wrenching decision, but we had to do it.”

___

Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand. AP journalist Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report as did AP writers worldwide.

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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Victoria Coates, Trump's former deputy national security adviser, denies she's 'Anonymous'

Victoria Coates, a former top official on the National Security Council, on Sunday denied new allegations she was the author of an inside-the-White House tell-all book by “Anonymous.”
“The allegations published in Real Clear Investigations are utterly false. I am not Anonymous, and I do not know who Anonymous is,” Coates said in a new statement.
Cleta Mitchell, Coates’ lawyer, wrote that Real Clear Investigations “peddled false statements citing only anonymous sources, despite on-the-record denials from Javelin LLC (the literary agent for Anonymous), the White House, and three well-respected members of the Trump Administration—and now Dr. Coates as well.”
“We are continuing to explore all available legal options,” Mitchell added.
Coates was accused of being the author of the book, “A Warning,” and a New York Times essay deeply critical of President Trump, written under the pen name “Anonymous.”
In the book, published by the Hachette Book Group last November, the writer claimed senior administration officials considered resigning as a group in 2018 in a “midnight self-massacre” to protest Trump’s conduct, but ultimately decided such an act would do more harm than good.
Trump in February renewed questions about the identity of “Anonymous” when he told reporters that he knew who it was. Asked whether he believed the person still worked at the White House, Trump responded: “We know a lot. In fact, when I want to get something out to the press, I tell certain people, and it’s amazing, it gets out there. But, so far, I’m leaving it that way.”

Victoria Coates denied new allegations she wrote the inside-the-White House tell-all book by “Anonymous.”

"After an exhaustive investigation, the White House believes it’s cracked the case, identifying Trump's turncoat as his former deputy national security adviser, Victoria Coates, according to people familiar with the internal probe," the Real Clear Investigations story claimed.
Coates served as national security adviser for the Middle East and North Africa before joining the Energy Department as a senior adviser this past February.
The Real Clear Investigations story added: "Rather than fire Coates, the White House has quietly transferred her to the Department of Energy, where she awaits special assignment in Saudi Arabia -- far from the president."
The Trump administration in February denied the accusations behind the job move.
“We are enthusiastic about adding Dr. Coates to DOE, where her expertise on the Middle East and national security policy will be helpful,” Secretary Dan Brouillette said in a statement. “She will play an important role on our team.”
“While I’m sad to lose an important member of our team, Victoria will be a big asset to Secretary Brouillette as he executes the president’s energy security policy priorities,” National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien added.
Fox News' John Roberts contributed to this report.

White House close on deal aimed to help small businesses hurt by coronavirus

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday that Democrats and the White House are inching closer to a deal that will replenish the $350 billion coronavirus emergency fund and said the vote could be as early as next week.
Mnuchin told CNN that he hopes that the $450 billion package will be voted on in the Senate on Monday, and pass the House on Tuesday. President Trump talked about the package during an evening press briefing and told reporters that he thinks “you could have a nice answer tomorrow, but we’ll see.”
Trump has released a three-phase strategy to reopen the country, sending the S&P 500 index up 28 percent since its low late last month. The U.S. economy has been stung by the coronavirus outbreak due to state shelter-in-place orders and concerns about a second wave once restrictions are lifted.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Republicans and Democrats clashed on some key points about the new deal, but both sides have agreed to compromise. The report said that Republicans wanted the money to replenish the emergency fund for small businesses, but Democrats want to the package to include additional funding for food stamps and testing.
Mnuchin said the new bill would replenish the fund and also free up $100 billion for testing and hospitals.
“We’ve made very good progress,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, told CNN.
Schumer and Senate Democrats have been working directly with Mnuchin and the administration on their proposals for more funding -- instead of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- with some hoping that with the president’s support of an agreement, McConnell and Senate Republicans will be forced to approve a measure.
McConnell, R-Ky., issued a joint statement last week with top House Republican Kevin McCarthy of California urging quick funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.
The Senate is away from Washington through May 4, though it convenes twice each week for pro forma sessions that could be used to pass more coronavirus aid — though only if no senator objects.
House  Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been criticized by Republicans again for holding up funding, told “Fox News Sunday” that there has been progress on reaching a deal, and that small businesses will see relief in the near future.
“They will have more money as soon as we come to an agreement -- which will be soon,” she said. “And I think people will be very pleased because these small businesses must thrive in a community where they’re, again, health is essential to them opening up.”
Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Ron Blitzer and the Associated Press contributed to this report

Nancy Pelosi Cartoons April 2020

US governors feel heat to reopen from protesters, president

Members of the Boogaloo Movement, attend a demonstration against the lockdown over concern about COVID-19 at the State House, Saturday, April 18, 2020, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Stores in Texas can soon begin selling merchandise with curbside service, and hospitals can resume nonessential surgeries. In Florida, people are returning to a few beaches and parks. And protesters are clamoring for more.

Governors eager to rescue their economies and feeling heat from President Donald Trump are moving to ease restrictions meant to control the spread of the coronavirus, even as new hot spots emerge and experts warn that moving too fast could prove disastrous.

Adding to the pressure are protests against stay-at-home orders organized by small-government groups and Trump supporters. They staged demonstrations Saturday in several cities after the president urged them to “liberate” three states led by Democratic governors.

Protests happened in Republican-led states, too, including at the Texas Capitol and in front of the Indiana governor’s home. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott already said that restrictions will begin easing next week. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb — who signed an agreement with six other Midwestern states to coordinate reopening — said he would extend his stay-at-home order until May 1.

For the first time in weeks, people were able to visit some Florida beaches, but they were still subject to restrictions on hours and activities. Beaches in big cities stayed closed.

Meanwhile, infections kept surging in the Northeast.

Rhode Island, between the hot spots of Massachusetts and New York, has seen a steady daily increase in infections and deaths, with nursing home residents accounting for more than 90 of the state’s 118 deaths. The state’s death rate of around 10 people per 100,000 is among the nation’s highest per capita, according to data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project.

Massachusetts had its highest number of deaths in a single day on Friday, with 159. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, citing health experts’ advice, said states should wait until infection rates and hospitalizations decline for about two weeks before acting.

Trump, whose administration waited months to bolster stockpiles of key medical supplies and equipment, appeared to back protesters.

“LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, ” Trump said in a tweet-storm in which he also lashed out at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, for criticizing the federal response. Cuomo “should spend more time ‘doing’ and less time ‘complaining,’” the president said.

At his Saturday briefing with reporters, Cuomo cited more progress. The state’s daily increase in deaths fell below 550 for the first time in more than two weeks as hospitalizations continued to decline.

But the crisis is far from over: Hospitals are still reporting nearly 2,000 new COVID-19 patients per day, and nursing homes remain a “feeding frenzy for this virus,” he said.

“We are not at a point when we are going to be reopening anything immediately,” Cuomo said.

Several hundred people rallied in Texas’ capital, chanting “Let us work!” Many clamored for an immediate lifting of restrictions in a state where more than 1 million have filed for unemployment since the crisis began.

The rally was organized by a host of Infowars, owned by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who joined protesters on the Capitol steps. Jones is being sued in Austin over using his show to promote falsehoods that the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in Connecticut was a hoax.

In Indianapolis, more than 200 people stood close together outside the governor’s mansion, carrying American flags and signs demanding that Gov. Holcomb lift restrictions. Indiana’s state health department reported 529 new cases between April 7 and midday Friday, raising the total to more than 10,600. The number of deaths rose by 26, to 545.

Elsewhere, a few hundred demonstrators waved signs outside the Statehouse in New Hampshire, which has had nearly 1,300 cases of the virus and more than three dozen deaths.

“Even if the virus were 10 times as dangerous as it is, I still wouldn’t stay inside my home. I’d rather take the risk and be a free person,” said one of the protesters, talk show host Ian Freeman.

Trump is pushing to relax the U.S. lockdown by May 1, a plan that hinges partly on more testing.

Public health officials said the ability to test enough people and trace contacts of the infected is crucial before easing restrictions, and that infections could surge anew unless people continue to take precautions.

Vice President Mike Pence delivered a commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, a trip aimed at showing the country is on course to gradually reopen.

Major cities in Brazil also saw protests Saturday by hundreds of people denouncing pandemic lockdown measures also opposed by President Jair Bolsonaro, a fierce critic of stay-at-home measures imposed by state governments.

In Asia, some nations that until recently appeared to have the outbreak under control reported fresh flareups.

Singapore reported a sharp, one-day spike of 942 infections, the highest in Southeast Asia, mostly among foreign workers staying in crowded dormitories. That brought the total to almost 6,000 in the city-state of 6 million.

Total cases topped 10,000 in Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he’s concerned that people are not observing social distancing and announced a 100,000-yen ($930) cash handout to each resident as an incentive to stay home.

There have been tentative signs that measures to curb the outbreak are working, with the rate of new infections slowing across Europe.

France and Spain started dismantling some field hospitals, while the number of active cases in Germany has slowly declined over the past week as people recover.

France’s national health agency said Saturday that the number of virus patients in intensive care dropped for the 10th straight day, and overall virus hospitalizations have fallen for three consecutive days. The country has seen almost 20,000 virus deaths.

The agency urged the French public to stick to strict confinement measures, which have been extended until at least May 11: “Don’t relax our efforts at the moment when confinement is bearing fruit.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government will seek to extend the state of emergency to May 9 but begin easing the total confinement of children beginning April 27.

Children are thought to be a major source of transmission even if they rarely fall ill from the virus. They’ve been confined to their homes for five weeks, prompting parents to ask that they be allowed to at least take a daily walk.

Sánchez announced in a televised news conference late Saturday that kids would be able “to get out of their houses for a period on a daily basis,” but the specifics needed to be ironed out with experts.

The national lockdown would be rolled back only when Spain’s embattled health system is ready for a possible rebound of infections, he said.

The virus is believed to have infected more than 2.3 million people worldwide. While most recover, the outbreak has killed at least 155,000 people, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally based on figures supplied by health authorities around the globe.

The number almost certainly underestimates the actual toll. Nearly everywhere, thousands have died with COVID-19 symptoms — many in nursing homes — without being tested for the virus, and have thus gone uncounted.

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Jordans reported from Berlin. Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report.