for the same medications as the vet, but up to 30 percent less with fast free shipping. visit petmeds.com today. 75 million. that's how many americans right now are being told to stay home in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. also, policing the restrictions. we look at whether harsh measures as we saw in china could help the west flatten the curve. plus, testing old drugs for new traits for a virus that's already claimed 11,000 lives. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. we are live in atlanta at cnn center. i'm natalie allen.

"newsroo "newsroom" starts right now. 4:00 a.m. here in atlanta. thank you so much per joining us. we want to bring you the latest on the coronavirus as the pandemic surges around the world still. the mantra from public health officials is loud and clear -- stay home. one day after california ordered its residents not to go out, new york, connecticut, and illinois have followed suit, affecting some 75 million americans. for now the rest of the country does not face such restrictions, but people everywhere are urged to stay home as much as possible. and the reason, of course, is simple. testing shows the virus is spreading quickly everywhere. the number of confirmed cases in

the u.s. is now approaching 19,000. more than 250 people have died. the global pandemic shows no signs of showing. johns hopkins university has logged more than a quarter million cases and well over 11,000 deaths. in europe, italy bearing the brunt of the yooutbreak. it has the highest number of fatalities in a single day. well over 600 people dying. and this chart tells the grim story as the number of cases soar. many hospitals are overwhelmed, supplies are short, and health care workers are falling ill. and a disturbing trend, french hitting officials say more than half the patients in intensive care there are under 60 years old. that country now reporting more than 12,000 cases and at least 450 deaths. cities like paris and nice are

closing public spaces and inposi inposing -- imposing curfews. we are cover in the global perspective from the latest risks in the u.s. to a plea from tehran to the american people. we'll have live reports. we begin in europe where right now there are stricter measures going into effect. katherine norris-trent is standing by for us live in paris. delia gallagher is in rome for us. and delia, we will start with you because i mean the number of dead in italy, it's too many to count. it just seems to keep getting worse. what can you tell us? >> reporter: the latest are 4,032 people that have died from covid-19. the total case numbers in italy stand at some 47,000. of those who have died, we have one report from the ministry of health that takes a look at the

data of those patients and says that the average median age of those on have died 80 years old. 98% had one or more underlying issues. we know that italy has a very large elderly population. so the convention in these early days from authorities is that that has something to do with the high right. death. another interesting statistic out of that report is that the average age of those who contract the disease in italy is 63 versus 46 years of age in china. that also goes to the hypothesis that this is something that is affecting at least in italy those who are holder. the big push now this weekend is on getting doctors to the north, to provide relief for those who have been on the front lines. 53 doctors are coming in from cuba. they have expertise from the ebola virus in freeway.

300 doctors from around the country are being selected this weekend to go and also help out in the north. there are 10,000 medical students for whom they have waived final exams so they can get to straight up and start working to relieve some of the pressure on those hospitals and medical workers in the north. >> it is surreal if you're bringing in students who are just graduating. they need you on the front lines or in the rooms. delia gallagher for us. thank you. we want to turn to katherine trent-norris. she's in paris for us. what's the situation there? >> reporter: well, natalie, this weekend is the first weekend in france under lockdown. and french authorities have signaled they are going to be cracking down on anyone trying to flout the rules and leave their house for anything apart from essential business. they've signaled they're going to be stepping up checks in train stations and at airports,

warning people not to go on holiday, not to be tempted to go away for a weekend. they've ruled some parks and other public places, no access zones. the areas along the banks of the river seine are out of bounds as at the eiffel tower. we had seen quite a few people going for a jog or walk. that is authorize under the terms of frantz's confine -- france's confinement. public authorities in france consider it to be too much. there are too many people on the streets. they are seeking to tighten measures up. troops are going to be brought in to back up french police in carrying out these controls. they're going to reinforce law enforcement agents. it's a real sense now that french opportunities are stepping up their warnings to try and get people, everyone off the streets. >> yes, now's the time. we'll see how it plays out.

reporting from paris for us. we told you how the governors of four u.s. states are telling their residents stay home, with very few exceptions. cnn's erica hill looks what the it means and what the white house is saying about it. >> reporter: new promises from the white house. >> we have millions of masks which are coming and will be distributed to the states. we're having them shipped directly to states. >> reporter: critical condition supplies now on the -- critical supplies now on the way, though the president was light on spic specifics. it's not clear when they'll arrive or where the white house is getting them. states are moving to try to on contain the virus. >> it's time to recognize as individuals and as a community we need to do more. >> reporter: california telling the 40 million residents to stay home. while they can go out for food, medical appointments, even a jog, officials are urging people to limit the excursions and the interaction. while new york's governor went

even further mandating all nonessential workers stay home starting sunday night. >> we've talked to people across the globe about what they did, what they've done, what worked, what doesn't work that is all informed this policy. we need everyone to be safe, otherwise no one can be safe. >> reporter: the governor is advising public transportation only if absolutely necessary. any outdoor exercise must be done alone. visits with loved ones discouraged. the strictest rules will apply to the most vulnerable -- those over 70, the immunocompromised, anyone with an underlying illness. the governor warns the rules are not optional. >> somebody wants to blame someone or complain about someone, blame me. if everything we do saves just one life, i'll be happy. >> reporter: neighboring connecticut announcing similar

measures friday as illinois orders its residents to stay at home. >> left unchaecked, cases in illinois will rise rapidly. >> reporter: in florida, some counties are closing beaches as the governor resists calls to do the same statewide. >> you think it's a liberal conspiracy or we're trying to take control of everything. the reality is this is a science issue. >> reporter: oils in also issuing a it -- illinois also issuing a stay-at-home hour. economists at goldman sachs report the next report will show 2.25 million americans filed for unemployment in the last week. >> no question that people to are going to be hard hit. >> reporter: hotels, restaurants, airlines allowancing layoffs after an unprecedented drop in demand. as nurses and doctors are called out of retirement to help and new restrictions limit movement, the reality of the pandemic is becoming more clear. in new jersey, one family has

lost four loved ones to coronavirus in a matter of days. secretary of more are in the hospital. 19 under quarantine. >> it is absolutelier is real. it's like the second we start to grief about one, the phone rings, and there's another person gone, taken from us forever. >> reporter: the heartbreak of one family, a sobering reminder that changing daily life could ultimately save it. as we continue to talk about concerns over medical supplies, the department of health here in new york city has asked health care facilities not to test asymptomatic health care workers or first responders because they need to preserve that personal protective equipment. they need preserve that all-important gear and medical supplies. >> erica hill there in new york city for us. discovery of a vaccine or therapeutic treatments for covid-19 is priority one for

medical researchers around the world. that includes examining older drugs to see whether they work against this new coronavirus. dr. sanjay gupta with details on what the research shows so far. >> reporter: there's been a lot of focus on a potential vaccine for coronavirus. a lot of discussion lately also around therapeutics. anti-virals. we want to dig a little deeper and see just how promising this might be. >> it's a medical war. to win this war. >> reporter: to win in the future the trump administration is looking to the past. >> we're also reviewing drugs that are approved abroad or drugs approved here for other uses. >> reporter: it's called repurposing. using a treatment targeted for one disease to treat another. like the 86-year-old anti-malaria drug, chloroquine. >> it's showing very, very

interesting results. we're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately. >> reporter: in a statement, pharmaceutical company bayer, who developed the drug, announced that it's donating three million tablets to the u.s. clinical trial efforts. they said new data from research conducted in china while limited shows potential. and one early study from france looked at a derivative of the drug in 20 coronavirus patients. >> that's still not ready for prime time. we still need substantially larger studies. >> reporter: it's believed that these drugs might work by it more challenging for the virus to bind to cells. but those findings have mostly come from the laboratory. >> for chloroquine, there is no proof that will that is -- that is an effective treatment at this time. you know, we recommend that -- that therapeutics be tested under, you know, ethically approved clinical trials to show efficacy and safety. >> reporter: trials will follow some 10,000 participants over

five months to see how effect pitch the drug is. at the same time, other scientists are looking at the anti-viral drug remdesavir which blocks the body from the ability to reproduce. >> that's a drug used for other purposes that's been out and had very good results for other purposes. it seems to have a very good result having to do with this virus. >> reporter: that still has to be proven. its manufacturer, gillead, is conducting trials with approximately 1,000 patients around the world. >> we will collect the data and make the absolute right decisions baitsed upon the data about the safetyefficacy. >> reporter: that's important because another two drugs were found to be ineffective. everybody is hoping the results this time will be different. >> those are two that are out now essentially approved for prescribed use, and i think it's going to be exciting.

i think it could be a game changer, and maybe not. and maybe not. but i think it could be based on what i see, it could be a game changer. >> reporter: there was another press conference on friday where president trump spoke again about chloroquine. dr. anthony fauci reminded everybody, look, these are very early days. while there is some hope, there's always hope around this, these have to be trialed. and that could take several months. al edwards us, associate professor in biomedical technology at the university of reading school of pharmacy. hoe joins us from england. thank you so much for talking with us. we need people like you to help us sort this out. coming off of sanjay gupta's story right through, treatments that look promising, treatments that don't, a vaccine. it's all hopeful, but it sounds like it will come later rather

than sooner. what are your thoughts? >> reporter: what's remarkable is human ingenuity under pressure. we've got all these fantastic medical doctors around the world. that's -- they deserve the first credit, and they're becoming on the science that's been done for many decades. we've never been in a better position than in our understanding of science and ability to communicate. there is always that word of caution. you've got small trials, they're not organized the way we traditionally run clinical trials. what are people doing is they're trying to fight fire and so what we're hoping is we get something really promising. if it works well, it will become clear quickly. and i think you'll see incredibly fast uptake of new treatment methods very soon. >> what about what we are hearing from china? china's reporting that the number of new infections has dropped significantly. that sounds encouraging. very much so. >> reporter: it's really

encouraging. in a way, this is going from the new, you know, the new medicines, this is going to the oldest history of infection control. the best way to stop a highly contagious infection is is on slow the spread. i believe it's credible that by stopping the spread in china, they have been able to block this exponential growth. and i think it's quite expected that we will continue to see cases popping up. but you don't get that wildfire, you know, growing and growing pandemic situation. >> yeah. meantime, four states in the u.s. have mandated businesses closing and people staying home. california, illinois, new york, and connecticut. how importance is it -- how important is it that people adhere to try and stop the spread because we keep hearing it's going to get really worse in the united states in the

coming days? >> reporter: yeah. that echoes what we're seeing here. we had last night, you know, it was the classic british last orders where the pubs were open for one more night. i hope that people didn't use that as an excuse to go out and mix even more. i've regard reports of course of the use of, you know, the university holiday making people over in the states, as well. i can completely understand that sentiment that you've got one last chance to go socialize. the problem is that we won't see any change in the public of cases. this is a really important point, until two weeks after restriction the come in. in is really important that people understand what is happening now in terms of the number of cases are people who are infected one to two weeks ago, so the restriction orders, if they come in now, will only make a visible difference to the number of cases in two weeks' time. >> right. some people can't see it, can't

feel it, and aren't confronting it and thinking about it. now is the time, we appreciate your expert lead to, al edwards, associate proffers in biomedical technology. thank you so much. well, spain's capital has been hit hard by covid-19. now madrid is setting up a 5,500 bed-temporary hospital and warping of difficult days ahead. we'll go there to tell you the latest also ahead here. all our residents will be subject to a stay-at-home order. >> more states in the u.s. as mention are requiring residents to stay home. how will those restrictions be enforced? can they be? we'll explore that. want to brain better?

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amid the spiraling covid-19 pandemic, the uk has come up for criticism because has not imposed tough measures restricting movement. on friday the prime minister said all pubs, gyms, and cinemas must close. in spain, the death toll is over

1,000. a massive temporary hospital is being built in madrid where 628 people have died. there are more than 7,000 cases in the spanish capital alone. people are heeding the warnings. spanish streets are nearly empty. for the latest, we're joined by anna stewart and al goodwin in madr madrid. al, it's heartening that people seem to be getting the message. >> reporter: hi, natalie. as the number increases almost 20,000 nationwide, and about half in hospital, the respond issue government is urgently asking two questions -- will there be enough hospital beds, will there be enough medical personnel. so they are moving swiftly in this recent days to try to change the math in their favor. in this day on a 5,500

provisional hospital being outfitteded at the small convention center at the airport. a series of large buildings. the military is putting in the hospital. it will include intensive care beds. in the last couple of days, another 1,200 beds were outfitted in two large hotels that were closed because there are no clients. in terms of medical personnel, they've mobilized 50,000 doctors and nurses. a small number of them retired, but mostly these are younger medicalness? who just -- medical students who just finished up or have one or two years of practice, the same with nurses. they're trying to get the resources to handle the situation. the drama not just inside the hospitals, also on the streets. i'm at the center of madrid just before the live shot started. there was a homeless man standing right here. the police came to him. he didn't have proper gloves. they gave him a set of gloves. they offered to take him to a homeless shelter. in the end they let him walk

away. basically as you see the streets are hospital even in the middle of the capital. people are ahead heeding the government's call to steed home. >> very good news. i can't imagine just finishing medical school and you're on the front lines of the pandemic. we cannot say enough about the doctors and nurses, people on the front lines, trying to save lives and putting their lives on the line, as well. al goodman in madrid, thank you so much. now let's turn to anna stuart in london where they've closed down the pubs, the gyms, the cafes, the restaurants. how is this going over? >> reporter: i don't think anybody is surprised by the latest measures. i think everybody understands it. there's, of course, a feeling of anxiety and concern particularly when you consider the uk is probably a few weeks behind italy and spain where al was reporting from. people are really bracing for what's coming next. there is a concern here. however, there has been a lot of relief that businesses have been told by the government to close

down. up to to point people were -- up to this point people were told don't go to businesses or cafes. nott the government is say they've got to close down as of this morning. also there's been some measures announced by the chancellor, the uk finance minister, to protect those business and key to protect the workers. so the government in the uk will be paying up to 80% of the salaries of those workers who simply cannot work either because they're in isolation, they have the virus, or of course because the business has been closed down and they can't work. businesses are concerned about cash flow. that seems to be protected now. the uk is everyone's in their homes, ready, bracing for what comes next. natalie? >> what comes next, that is the question. anna stewart in london. thank you so much. well, millions of people around the world are being told to stay home. and as more countries order tighter restrictions, we look at how they plan on enforcing them.

also, iran's president has a message for the american people. we'll have a live report from tehran about what he said.

welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. this is "cnn newsroom." one day after california ordered the state's residents to stay home in an attempt to contain the coronavirus, new york, illinois, and connecticut have issued similar edicts. all told, that is about 75 million people. look at times square there. not many people out and about.

the u.s. is approaching 19,000 confirmed cases of the virus with at least 258 deaths thus far. italy's death toll climbed by 627 people in just 24 hours friday. the largest single day jump anywhere in the world since the outbreak began. the government is now asking the military to help enforce lockdowns as italy closes parks and public gardens and restricts jogging even. coronavirus has claimed 450 lives in france. health authorities reporting 78 deaths have the past 24 hours. there are more than 12,000 confirmed cases across the country. in paris and nice, public spaces like parks are being closed to limit the spread. in the uk, pubs and restaurants must close as parts of new measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. up until friday, the uk had been resistant to ordering such

actions. the government is looking to ease the blows by pledging to subsidize up to 80% of workers' wages. we want to take a moment to look at what it could mean to enforce or try and enforce the sort of restrictions we are now seeing. whether police will have the authority and personnel to do so and whether if needed the military has the training to deal with civilians in this way. for that we're joined by margaret gilmar. she's a former associate fellow with think tank royal united services institute and formerly a correspondent who covered terrorism. thank you so much, margaret, for being here. what we're seeing is unprecedented with this virus. let's talk about the restrictions that we are seeing. italy really clamping down, france, as well, how might these measures be enforced? >> reporter: in italy they are very, very strict. they're about a month ahead of,

for example, the uk and possibly america. and you simply cannot go out unless you have filled in a form and written down your reasons why you are literally leaving your home. and there are people on the streets, police officers, who will stop you and say why are you getting okay? okay you've got to go to the pharmacy, to the shop. you do that. and france the same, very strict, only one person is allowed. for example to walk a dog, the whole family can't go out. and again, police officers on the streets checking that people are doing what they say they are. and they've also got very strict borders at the moment. people are not allowed in and out. crossing streets in ferries from the uk to -- to france have as far as passengers, the concern with britain varies, for example, being stopped. >> they're stopping people, questioning people, where are you going, why are you out? what if we get to a scenario where authorities need to

control the movement of the population in an open western society? can the police do it even it with the authority? will have they have the manpower and the personnel to do something like it? >> reporter: it hasn't happened in the uk yet, although the powers are now there. the army in the uk are being trained. they're used to dealing with large crowds. what's happening in france and italy is for the large part people are not disobeying to any great degree. there are not big crowd-control issues there at the moment. i think what i'm seeing and feeling it here in the uk, as i say we're a little behind, is now that we have restrictions placed and the pubs, clubs, restaurants, have all shut down. the gyms and so on. i think what we're feeling is fear. and that fear is the biggest emotion, bigger than anything that's leading to any worry. right now about security.

yes, we've had panic buying, the shelves and large cues, but they've been ordered -- thetive between here and there, but flog minimum wager on. certainly no worry -- major. certainly no worry on the security front as well as large, out-of-control crowds or routine. >> well, that is very good news because that's in the back of some people's minds as people get more desperate. in california, the governor ordering people to stay home. saying they hope people will adhere to the edict out of social pressure. do you think that is something that will help people follow alon along? >> if we take for example what happened here, social pressure, yes. what happened is the older people who are more likely to be affected, the deaths rise with

age. that is already proven. the older people have started self-isolating and doing it automatically. the shutdown of anything to do socially, you can't go to a restaurant or a public anymore in the uk. i think that is making people go inside much more, the schools have closed down. so actually there's ain't lot to do to be out and about. that's worked for a little while. we're asked to do it because we were asked to do it. but the -- some of the younger generation mainly were still going to the restaurants and the pubs. and so yesterday, our prime minister said, this is going to be mandatory, the pubs and restaurants will have to shut, end of story from today, in fact. and so they're forcing it. what they'll do at the moment and i suspect initially anyway in california that will happen, is that they will use the law. if a restaurant opened and

people were going to it, then i think that would be in a lot of trouble. they would lose their license using the law. i know that in australia for example they've got a problem where people are going to the beach. they've had to say, hang on, this is no good. we're going to close this beach because this is not helping. in california you may have issues like that where your outdoor society and the most like cold in the uk, so not such a big issue. i think the bigger problem will be across time how much -- you know, how long the society's able to stay inside. it's sustained long term in italy. the death toll is raising and is still there. >> it's tough for people, this is a complete shock to the system of people's lives. we have to remember it's not forever. it just isn't. we really appreciate your insights and expertise.

thank you so much. well, the pandemic is dominating a period celebrated by iranians around the world. now the persian new year. moves comes as iran grapples with the fact that at last report someone there, listen to this, someone there is dying every ten minutes from this virus. this year iran's president has a message during this holiday directly aimed at the united states. rouhani slams the sanctions he says are making the pandemic worse and makes it this appeal to the american people. here are his words -- "you, like others in the world, are facing this destructive pandemic and experiencing the bitterness of a concern over your future and that of your loved ones. this time, the surrounding oceans of a continent are not an adequately defense." he goes on to say, "in the name of justice and humanity, i address your conscience and

godly souls and call upon you to make your administration and congress see that the path of sanctions and pressure has never been successful and will never be so in the future." let's talk about this. joining us now, live from tehran, iran, ram infor us. good to see again. what do you make of the direct appeal by rouhani? >> reporter: i think it's sort of the diplomatic appeal. addressing american nation because trump has tried to reach out to iranian of sending message of new rules and trying increasingly to encourage people to take to the streets to protest and now they're

retaliating and addressing the american people to say, okay, you're sanctioned, i've been hurting us, but it doesn't work. so you should revise your decision, and we are paying the price, the iranian people. so it's trying to put the blame on american administration in retaliating their retime to the arabian people in messages and other things that they also issue sometimes over this. some appeal to the iranian people to try to win their hearts and minds. at the same time, among this global war with the coronavirus, here in contrast with the american societies or european society, iranians are not able to enforce any lockdown and there are considerations on people. they are appealing, imploring people, please stay at home.

the two weeks, the test for iranians to defeat the coronavirus or to be defeated. unfortunately, a few days before the new rules, some people from the big cities traveled outside and potentially they are conveyors of the virus. two weeks, paper tests to see that iranian society can defeat the coronavirus in this global bar against the coronavirus. >> thank you so much. we'll be following what happens there in iran, the death toll is so much like italy. it's hard to comprehend. rammin, thank you so much. alarm bells over the threat of coronavirus. just ahead, a you in report says the white house was warned months ago about a likely pandemic. plus, medical workers struggling to care for coronavirus patients as supplies

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we want to talk more now about the threat to the united states concerning the coronavirus. a report from the "washington post" suggests u.s. president trump ignored january intelligence reports about the scale and intensity of the coronavirus. according to the newspaper, white house advisers told mr. trump that china was minimizing the data on infection and death rates, but the president praised china's handling of the epidemic. it reports even when inifications began popping up in the u.s., mr. trump characterizing the virus as a serious threat. and this comes as health care workers all across the u.s. try to grapple with a shortage of critical supplies.

cnn's drew griffin takes a look at how we got here. >> reporter: how did the united states end up in this position with a desperate shortage of coronavirus tests? a shortage of supplies to administer these tests, heaval a shortage of protecting equipment for medical workers? the u.s. government knew the virus was coming back in the beginning of january. on january 8th when the cdc published an emergency health advisory on a reported cluster of new mexico of unknown origin in wuhan china. medical experts tell cnn the trump administration failed to act at this critical time. >> what we see is the lack of praepgds over the last two -- preparation over the last two months has put us in a official situation. >> reporter: in late january, the first u.s. case of coronavirus was identified in washington state. while chinese officials began locking down the city of wuhan, president trump was in davos, switzerland, telling the world that china's problem would not be the world's pandemic.

>> we have it totally under control. >> reporter: trump barred most non-u.s. citizens there flights coming in from china, but behind the scenes, mistakes were already being made. the numbers climbeded to 35,000 cases worldwide, the cdc was sending the test to public health labs to make sure the tests would work. the public labs found out the tests were flawed. >> they immediately reported that. and cdc began an investigation quickly. but more and hear labs as they were verifying this through the coming days also found the same problem. >> reporter: but three crucial weeks testifying was at a near standstill while the cdc tried to fix the problem and the u.s. health system was satelliting blind. the virus suppress e spreading across america and u.s. officials had no way to test for it. >> that kept us from having stability on transmission of the

virus. >> reporter: when the tests were ready, there wasn't enough to fill demand. this shows public health laboratories begging the fda to allow them to create their own test. it happened within days. in a race to contain it the virus was well ahead. by march 6th, there are 100,000 cases worldwide and more confusion from the administration. >> anybody that wants a can get a test. >> reporter: when the president said these words, across the country shortages were everywhere. today the shortages include about everything needed to administer the test. >> there are shortages on many paces of it. >> reporter: public health officials say it just didn't need to be this bad. two years earlier, the white house made another potentially dangerous mistake, lay aside the pandemic response unit within the national security council, though the us what says the same roles exist just under different titles. the team president obama had boilstered to combat pandemics

after an ebola outbreak was gone. critics say the trump administration decision methamphetaminered efforts with the coronavirus. >> i think it made us clear and more prone to mistakes. >> reporter: jeremy says all the shortages from testing to swabs to masks can in part be traced back to that one decision. beth cameron, who under barack obama ran the pandemic response unit, says there is no doubt. >> would we have gotten more ahead of this if the office had still been intact? i think absolutely. >> reporter: the president who alternate live said he didn't know anything about disbanding the pandemic team and defended it now denies his coronavirus response has been anything but perfect. >> we were very prepared. the only thing we weren't prepared for was the -- the media. >> reporter: drew griffin, cnn, atlanta. next here, growing calls to postpone the olympic games. how the coronavirus is casting a

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we have breaking news about the loss of one of the brightest and all-time greats of country music. singer/songwriter and actor kenny rogers has died. rogers had a career that spanned six decades. ♪ we all know the show must go on but you can't make ♪ >> beautiful singing right there. rajerts was a fan favorite, especially for his duets with dolly parton. seen there such as "islands in the stream" and for the songs "lady" and " lucillucille." his family tweeted he passed away peacefully at home from natural causes vourpded by his loved ones. his signature tune "the gambler" included a line that could be hissen sta esen -- his epitaf, o know when to hold 'em, know when to feld 'em. he was 81. more calls to delay the 2020 tokyo olympics after the

coronavirus. some saying the games should be postponed until next year. in a letter to the u.s. olympic and air pair limp icommittee, they asked fordam 'tis changes saying the right and important thing is to prioritize everyone's health and safety and recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletics preparations. and he's not alone. the virus is casting doubts over the future. the tokyo games set to begin just a few months. for more, let's turn to cnn's will ripley. he is live in tokyo. hello local to you, will. the torch has arrived, but the question is will it be extinguished? >> reporter: yeah. nobody knows what's going to happen by the time the torch reaches tokyo. and it's -- look, japanese officials, the prime minister, shinzo abe, here in a tough spot. if they were to say publicly, okay, we're going to postpone the games, that will create huge waves. at this point, they still feel like they have time to figure

out the situation. you know, one of the ioc members talked about postponing the games saying maybe late may they could make the call and figure out the logistics. with each passing day, each week it does seem increasingly tone deaf on the part of tokyo 2020 organizers to continue to insist yes, the games are continuing given what's happening and athletes won't have time to train properly. even a bronze medalist from 1988 said the games somehow postponed because athletes aren't going to have time to prepare. that's assuming that it's safe to bring people from 200-plus countries in tokyo in four months. >> right. coming up in the next hour, we'll talk with someone who specializes in business news about this quandary and talk about the ioc and where they stand with this. will ripley in tokyo, always to see you, will.

thank you so much. thank you for watching this hour. please stay right there. i'm natalie allen. i'll be right back with our ton stories on the coronavirus. you're watching cnn live from atlanta.

next here on cnn, 1 in 5 americans now being told to stay home. as coronavirus cases soar in the u.s. also, an urgent plea from health care workers on the front lines, we don't have what we need. plus, property from the pandemic, two u.s. senators and well-timed stock selloffs raising eyebrows.