Coronavirus Highlights: Italy reports 475 new virus deaths, highest one-day toll of any nation

US President Donald Trump said he plans to invoke a wartime law that will allow him to direct expanded production of supplies needed to address the coronavirus outbreak.

"All remaining students (except international students and students with special needs) are requested to vacate the hostels at the earliest. Hostels will function with skeleton staff and packed food will be provided for remaining students," an IIT Delhi notification said.

Italy on Wednesday reported 475 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year.

Total deaths in Italy have reached 2,978, more than half of all the cases recorded outside China, while the number of infections reached 35,713.

The previous record high of 368 deaths was also recorded in Italy, on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on 19th March 2020 at 8 PM, during which he will talk about issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it.

Once they made light of the coronavirus, then the graveyards started filling up. Now Italians are warning the rest of the world to learn from their mistakes before it's too late.

"Protect yourselves, I beg you. Don't listen to those who say it's not serious," mother Linda Maresca tweeted.

The #coronavirushasnoborder hashtag is doing the rounds, as people young and old, celebrity and commoner, urge others to stop underestimating a disease which is stretching northern Italy's hospitals and doctors to the limit.

"I want to warn you so that you don't face what we are facing here," Italian blogger Marco Cartasegna told his 386,500 followers on Instagram.

Indian equities declined for a third day in a row on Wednesday, making investors poorer by a whopping ₹15.72 lakh crore in the three-day crash since Monday. Intense selling engulfed the equity market for yet another day, with the benchmark index Sensex plummeting 1,709.58 points or 5.59 per cent on Wednesday. Since Monday, the index has plunged 5,233.97 points to hit a one-year low of 28,613.05 as fears of global recession due to coronavirus pandemic hit investor sentiment.

The United States on Wednesday urged the Afghan government and Taliban to move ahead with a delayed plan to free prisoners, saying the coronavirus crisis made the move more pressing.

"Coronavirus makes prisoner releases urgent; time is of the essence," Zalmay Khalilzad, the US negotiator who brokered a February 29 deal with the Taliban, wrote on Twitter.

Tihar Jail official: In view of the prevailing threat of coronavirus, the meeting of prisoners with their family/visitors (normally twice in a week) shall remain suspended from tomorrow till 31st March. The meeting with their legal counsels will however continue.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Can$27 billion in direct aid Wednesday to help workers and businesses cope with the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said tax payments worth an estimated Can$55 billion could be deferred until August.

Met Hon’ble LG and discussed what further measures need to be taken. Everyone is working hard to contain the virus. These r difficult times. But nothing to panic. We shall overcome. https://t.co/8h2mLECOpG

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 18, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic will push millions more into unemployment, underemployment and working poverty, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning that workers globally stood to lose up to $3.4 trillion in income this year alone.

"Falls in employment... mean large income losses for workers," the International Labour Organization said, releasing a report showing workers stand to lose between $860 billion and $3.4 trillion by the end of 2020.

The number of people who have tested positive in the United Kingdom for coronavirus has increased to 2,626, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The figure was an increase of 676 or 35% from Tuesday. So far, Britain has reported 71 deaths from the virus.

Indian state retailers have sold 10-11% less refined fuel in the first two weeks of March than in the same period of 2019 as coronavirus cut transportation and industrial activity, the country's top refiner and fuel retailer Indian Oil Corp said.

State companies - IOC, Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Bharat Petroleum - own about 90% of India's retail fuel outlets.

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it had banned its citizens from travelling abroad until further notice over coronavirus fears, the state news agency WAM reported.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that he was "almost to the point" of recommending to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that the city implement a 'shelter-in-place' policy that would have people stay in their homes.

"We have a little bit more we have to make sense of -- how we are going to get people food and medicine," de Blasio told NBC's "TODAY" morning show, adding that he would only make that decision in consultation with the state. "But I have to say it has to be considered seriously starting today."