Morning Briefing - April 1, 2020

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency provides a rundown on the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Turkey and across the world.

As the novel coronavirus continues spreading around the world, the number of confirmed cases globally is now over 860,000, while 42,345 died and 178,359 recovered.

Turkey on Tuesday confirmed 46 more deaths and 2,704 new cases, taking the death toll to 214 and the tally of cases to 13,531.

Currently, dozens of settlements in the country have been put under quarantine as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Turkey on Wednesday morning also dispatched medical aid to Italy and Spain, countries worst hit by the coronavirus in Europe. The plane took off from the Turkish capital Ankara.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday that Americans should brace for "hard days ahead," two days after he said holding COVID-19 deaths in the country between 100,000 to 200,000 would be a "good job."

Members of White House’s Coronavirus Task Force will hold a news briefing on Wednesday.

Italy, one of the world's worst-hit countries, on Tuesday reported 837 new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 12,428, the highest globally. However, the slowdown in new infections support hopes of a turnaround.

As for other European heavyweights, the death toll in Germany climbed to 684 with 60 new deaths, while Spain registered a record 849 daily deaths, bringing the toll to over 8,189.

The pace of the spread of the virus in Germany shows the death rate is still lower compared to other European countries.

The death toll in France surged to 3,523, as 499 more people die on Tuesday.

Although relatively low, South and Central American countries have also started announcing death cases, El Salvador being one of them.

African countries, including Mali, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Congi, also announce new cases and deaths from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the World Bank said developing economies in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) recovering from trade tensions and struggling with COVID-19, now face the prospects of a global financial shock and recession.

In other news, British football club Tottenham staffers take pay cuts “in order to protect jobs” amid COVID-19 outbreak that hit the U.K. severely, the club said on Tuesday.

The 2021 Mediterranean Games have also been delayed due to the coronavirus.