VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Harsh lockdowns aimed at halting the march of the coronavirus pandemic extended worldwide Monday as the death toll soared past 37,500 amid new waves of US outbreaks. Despite slivers of hope in stricken Italy and Spain, the tough measures that have confined some two-fifths of the globe's population to their homes were broadened. As quoted by AFP.com (31/3), Moscow and Lagos joined the roll call of cities around the world with empty streets, while Virginia and Maryland became the latest US states to announce stay-at-home orders, followed quickly by Washington DC, leaving three-quarters of Americans under some form of lockdown. A US military medical ship steamed into New York, where it will relieve pressure on the city's badly stretched health system. A field hospital set up in Central Park was due to go online later Tuesday. The scale and speed of the US pandemic continued to expand, with the death toll topping 3,000 out of 163,000 known infections -- the highest case count for any country. President Donald Trump sought to reassure Americans that authorities were ramping up distribution of desperately needed equipment such as ventilators and personal protective gear. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is now above three-quarters of a million, with around 37,000 deaths.The toll on health systems is staggering, with medical professionals under enormous strain//AFP