[cheers and applause] >> thank you. hi istonight, hot zone. >> this is literally a matter of life and death. >> the national guard ordered into the first containment area in america. a sobering warning as the covid-19 outbreak continues to spread. >> in seven or eight weeks there could be 64,000 people infected in the state of washington if we don't somehow slow town down th epidemic, then the next tweak, 120 those a 120,000. >> last flight out. >> there are people everywhere. it looks very clear that a lot of people are trying to get out. >> with the death toll surging,

an entire country is under quarantine. >> this special edition of "nightline," covid-19 outbreak will be right back of ♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows

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more covid-19 test kits grows louder. now health officials are trying to clear confusion over supply and demand. here's whit johnson. >> this, i believe, will be one of the most transformative occurrences in the history of our nation. >> reporter: the coronavirus taking hold in the u.s. today. the first containment zone here in new rochelle, new york. just north of manhattan. state officials say 100 to 200 members of the national guard will be here to help clean and sanitize schools and public areas and deliver food wherever it's needed. >> it is a dramatic action. this is literally a matter of life and death. >> reporter: that zone of containment consisting of a one-mile radius around the young israel synagogue where dozens were exposed. the first to test positive, an

attorney. new york state is reeling from one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the country. new york city's mayor noting a spike in cases. >> we have a very rapidly evolving situation on the numbers of cases. and we're obviously concerned when we see more cases, but there's a piece of this that actually is in its own way good news. the testing capacity is coming online more and more. >> reporter: tonight at least 288 peop28 people have died, including a 69-year-old man in new jersey. according to johns hopkins, over 100,000 cases of covid-19 are reported worldwide with 800 in the u.s. as anxiety mounts, medical professionals and potential patients sounding the alarm that there aren't enough testing kits to keep up with the growing numbers. >> this is a big problem. to understand the epidemic we

have to know what the denominator is. >> reporter: at least 6600 covid-19 tests have been administered across the country. dr. todd elleren outside boston says the hospital has been inundated with test requests. >> i've been flooded with calls from patients and providers who have flu-like symptoms and are testing negative for the flu and a broad range of respiratory viruses. we have to ask ourselves, what's filling in that gap? i think there's a good chance covid-19 is the pathogen. >> reporter: quick and accurate testing he says more important than ever. >> there's no question that at this point when we think we have community transmission, when you know there's community transmission that means there's a lot more undiagnosed cases than diagnosed cases. we have to up our level of testing.

>> reporter: in washington state, the seattle mayor says the lack of tests played a vital role. ten nursing homes and long-term care facilities are reporting coronavirus. >> i think as a region and state, we do not yet have enough testing capacity. because we don't have enough testing and the cdc rules about who could get tested and the very few numbers of test kits we had we missed how widely and quickly this disease was spreading. >> reporter: washington governor jay innslee is bracing for an explosion of cases. >> there could be 64,000 cases if we don't slow down this epidemic, and the next week would be 120,000 and the next week a quarter of a million. >> reporter: today the director of the cdc testifying before congress, fielding questions about the delay in getting test kits to health providers across the country u. >> cdc's focus was to provide

testing. there's a whole new realm of testing. there's really laboratory testing availability to any doctor's office that can go through labs through quest. i would have loved the private sector to be fully engaged weeks ago. >> reporter: they plan to collaborate test results with the goal of tracking how many americans have been tested and what the test results are. >> like cdc, the state and local, territory health departments are underfunded. and i want to rebuild the corps capabilities. wouldn't it be nice if we had a data where every department could see in real time so we could predict what's going on and where to put assets. >> reporter: most people who get covid-19 will experience mild symptoms and never have to be

tested. but he did reiterate a warning about travel for certain groups of people. >> we have recommended that the elderly and vulnerable, including children with chemotherapy and others should reconsider at this point travel. >> reporter: the elderly comprising a significant chunk of passengers on the "grand princess" cruise ship, still docked in oakland, california. over 1,000 of its passengers, aged 70 or older with the most serious cases departing the ship yesterday. frustration mounting as 269 passengers came off today. >> we're getting a little discouraged, once we get off, which will probably be tomorrow. we still have 14 more days. >> reporter: all 19 of the "grand princess" crew members back on the ship for isolation. and a yellow flag flying signaling the ship is under quarantine. >> it will go away, stay calm. >> reporter: today the president attended a meeting with senators on capitol hill to urge calm.

he defended the testing process. >> u.s. has done a very good job on testing. we had to change things that were done, and the testing has gone very well and when people need a test they can get a test. >> reporter: trump saying he has not been tested, despite spending time with three people, including his chief of staff, who are self-quarantining after coming into contact with a man who has tested positive. >> i feel extremely good. i feel very good. there's no symptoms, no anything. >> reporter: but the president also had other things on his mind, tweeting about today's primary election, that it's going to be a bad day, for, quote, crazy bernie. senator bernie sanders and former vice competing in six co idaho, mississippi, missouri, north dakota, michigan and washington state. there, voters only mail in their ballots. a secretary of state warning voters not to lick them but use a wet sponge or cloth. >> it's really helpful for us to

have all vote by mail, because people can vote from their home. we've got to make sure that as we're doing what we need to do we're also keeping our civic society alive and well. >> reporter: on the campaign trail, the specter of coronavirus loomed large. the biden campaign offering hand sanitizer to attendees at a detroit rally. s sanitizer and hand wipes popping up at some polling locations. both campaigns canceled rallies in cleveland. >> they asked the campaigns to cancel their events in cleveland with large groups of people. and that's what we did, due to the coronavirus. >> reporter: biden, after a strong night with key wins in several contests, including michigan. >> looks like we're going to have another good night. [cheers and applause] with victories in mississippi, missouri, michigan. >> reporter: set to deliver

remarks on coronavirus tomorrow. and while many are worried coronavirus could escalate to the next level, medical professionals want to assure people that this is not the worse case scenario. >> we have survived pandemics in the past. the last one was at aten years . we got through it. we will get through this. >> our thanks to whit. up next, your coronavirus questions answered and catching the last flight out of italy, a country under coy individual 19 barn teen. p. step up. prep up. to help keep you free from the risk of hiv. from the makers of truvada, a new prep option: descovy for prep. a once-daily prescription medicine that helps lower the chances of getting hiv through sex. it's not for everyone. descovy for prep has not been studied in people assigned female at birth. talk to your doctor to find out if it's right for you. step up. for health and body. prep up for your one and only love or many loves. for kings, this queen, and you royals in between. for my now.

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the word quarantine dates back to venice, italy in the 1300s where incoming ships were quarantined. it helped save venice from the black plague. tonight, italy hopes it will save them again as the entire country is under lockdown from the coronavirus. here's james longman. >> reporter: the viral attack in italy feels like an act of war. the government's response equally dramatic. police checkpoints and mandatory curfews, a virtual quarantine for 60 million people. more than 10,000 infected, the vast majority seniors and the death toll surging. over 460 lives claimed by covid-19. today that number rising to more than 630, the deadliest toll outside china. iconic tourist attractions

empty. this plaza at the coliseum is normally packed with visitors. now take a look at it, virtually deserted. >> reporter: on the heels of the lockdown announcement, these chilling images emerge, patients being placed face down to help get lungs oxygen near the red zone. some hospitals building makeshift tents to grapple with the growing number of cases. the world health organization praising italy's government for taking such drastic measures. >> we're encouraged that italy is taking aggressive measures to contain its epidemic. >> reporter: i was in italy reporting on the story when the lockdown was announced. it took us by surprised. we were concerned we would get stuck too. speaking to a taxi driver, and he's wearing a mask. he's really worried what's happening. he has suffered from pneumonia before. >> reporter: as i was at the

airport i was met by long lines of desperate travelers. there are long lines everywhere, and it looks very clear that a lot of people are trying to get out of italy. after two hours i touched down at home in london. the last flight out of rome. they've canceled flights until next month. very sad situation. we've been given forms, telling us that we have to self-isolate. but so far there doesn't seem to be any kind of health test upon arrival, no scanners. nothing. just arrived this morning. as i left this morning, a travel youtuber was just settling in. >> thanks for tuning in and see what it's like in rome. >> reporter: he goes all over the world and makes videos about his travels. was flying from indonesia to italy to meet his mother who just arrived in sicily. >> she's been looking forward to this trip for right about a year. we planned this trip. we did the research, believe me. there's local train.

we're not going to go to north italy. we won't go to milan. we going to sicily, way far in the south. we had no idea we would be in a lockdown. >> reporter: now rupp and his mother are in limbo. >> survive, we will survive. >> we have been looking at flights to get out. hough, other people on our tour, their flights have been canceling one by one. they're it trying they're trying to rebook, rebook. >> reporter: ironically, he was also in wuhan china in november, a month before the viral outbreak would lockdown the city. >> i went to wuhan in november, just about a month after that is when the corona covid-19 outbreak was announced. seems like i bite the virus nea. now i'm in the middle of it. >> reporter: i'm in an airbnb i've got my books, the uk

government has not mandated that i have to do it, i'm not forced to do it, but it does make the most sense given that i was in italy. as for jason and his mother, they're also spending time in an airbnb. when they are actually able to get on a plane and back home still anyone's guess. >> we're still going to enjoy our time in italy the best we can. >> incredible story, james. thank you. and now we're going to go over to our chief medical correspondent, dr. jennifer ashton to answer some of your questions, but first, we just saw in james' story people documenting their lives under self-quarantine. how effective are these two-week periods of isolation in spreading, in stopping the spread of the virus? >> in general, when you talk about these social distancing measures, they can be effective as we say flattening the curve. so that means slowing the spread, protecting the other vulnerable populations, like those people who may have

contact with, let's say, the elderly. and it buys us time. so how much of a help this will be is tbd. it's to be determined, because time is a factor. >> now i want to get to some of our viewer's questions. if i'm in a situation where i can't wash my hands right away, is hand sanitizer the best option until i get to a bathroom? some claim sanitizer doesn't do anything to. >> that's incorrect. it is true if you can get to a sink, soap and water is preferable. people are overthinking this. wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, dry your hands well, if that's not possible, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. keep your hands clean. it will be interesting to see what happens to the rate of other infections like influenza, because people are so focussed on hand hygiene. >> the next question, what kind of precaution at home, what kind

of vitamins should i be taking? and should i be stock up on food and water? >> first part of the question with vitamins, there's no proof that vitamins protect us from any virus. but things we can do, get enough sleep, getting regular exercise, that has been associated with a lower risk of getting the common cold virus for example. you know, and eat beiing well actually can help keep our immune system where it should be. the second question, what should you be stock up on, the same things you would be getting if there whyere a major blizzard. hoarding not necessary. >> enough for two weeks. >> that's what the cdc is saying. >> are we safe to eat in restaurants or pick up food from starbucks? what risk are we at? >> we can't live our lives in a plastic bubble. you have to evaluate certain

behaviors and say if i alter this, what kind of risk is involved and what kind of benefit. >> this nice person wants to know about the incubation period. she says we see a lot about what happens when you have the coronavirus but nothing about what happens when they're not contagious. with a cold or flu, it's 24 hours after the fever is gone. >> we don't know the transmission dynamics. one of those things is how long someone can be infectious after testing positive. we just had a small study this morning that suggested the incubation is just over five days with 97% of people infected showing symptoms by two weeks and certainly by 11 days. again, we're still learning that, but five days is on average. not everyone will show symptoms. >> there's so much false information out there, it's great to get reliable answers. do stay with us for continuing

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finally tonight, a reminder,

stay with "nightline" for ongoing coronavirus coverage and remember our abc news medical team will continue to answer your questions. can you tweet us with #ask"nightline." thank you for watching, you can always find our full episodes on hulu. i'm diane macedo, good night, america.

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