this is "nightline." tonight, the president facing the pandemic head on. >> the virus will not have a chance against us. no nation is more prepared or more resilient than the united states. >> extreme measures to try to stop covid-19. >> smart action today will help prevent the spread of the virus tomorrow. >> after a stark warning. >> bottom line, it's going to get worse. >> families divided by the virus. inside the nation's first contagion zone. and now the nba suspending the season after one player tests positive. and hatom hanks and rita wilson

announcing they have it too. >> covid-19 will be right back. ♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows ♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪ ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ all we needed somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪ lease the volvo xc40 for $329 per month. at your local volvo retailer.

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some parts of europe to the u.s., then taking to twitter to clarify his remarks about trade. here's kyra phillips. >> this is the most comprehensive effort to confront a virus in modern history. >> reporter: president trump restricting travel by foreign nationals coming to the united states from 26 european countries. >> to keep new cases from entering our shores we will be suspending all travel from europe to the united states for the next 30 days. the new rules will go into effect friday at midnight. >> reporter: the restriction does not apply to u.s. residents and green cardholders or to travelers coming from the uk, ireland and several other countries. he initially announced the suspension would include trade but had to clarify on twitter. please remember, very important for all countries and businesses to know that trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from

europe. the restriction stops people, not goods. still, the president quick to blame the european union. >> we made a life-saving move with early action on china. now we must take the same action with europe. >> reporter: and announcing plans to help offset the cost of medical care. >> earlier this week i met with the leaders of health insurance industry, who have agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments, extend insurance coverage to these treatments and to prevent surprise medical billing. >> reporter: fears of a pandemic and global recession have sent markets into a tailspin. tonight, trump promising loans to small businesses. >> this is not a financial crisis. this is just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world. >> reporter: the president saying put politics aside and cautioning vulnerable populations. >> the elderly population must

be very, very careful. in particular, we are strongly advising that nursing homes for the elderly suspend all medically unnecessary visits. >> reporter: after weeks of mixed messages and down playing this virus, tonight a turn toward confronting the challenges ahead. >> acting with compassion and love, we will heal the sick, care for those in need, help our fellow citizens and emerge from this challenge stronger and more unified than ever before. god bless you and god bless america. >> thanks, kyra. in other headlines, the nba is suspending its season indefinitely after a player tested positive. and actor tom hanks and rita wilson say they have it, too. the worst is yet to come. communities are taking drastic measures to prevent its spread. here's whit johnson. >> we have formed the assessment

that covid-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. >> reporter: a nation on edge as communities across the country and around the globe brace for what the world health organization is now calling a pandemic. >> we have rung the alarm bell loud and clear. >> reporter: right now in the united states, there are over 1200 confirmed cases of coronavirus. in at least 44 states, with at least 37 confirmed fatalities. >> it is ten times more lethal than the seasonal flu. i think that's something that people can get their arms around and understand. >> reporter: on capitol hill today, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, dr. anthony fauci issuing this warning. >> we will see more cases and things will get worse than they are now. bottom line, it's going to get worse. >> reporter: in washington state, the epicenter of the nation's outbreak with over 300 confirmed cases and 29 deaths,

the virus ferociously attacking the elderly. >> the grim reality is that for the elderly, coy individual 19 is almost a perfect killing machine. >> reporter: cut off from loved ones, loved ones are blowing kisses from afar. to stop the spread, washington is going on the offensive. >> this is not a time to be going out into public and close contact. it's just too dangerous. >> reporter: banning large gatherings. and seattle is closing their public schools for at least two weeks. across the country, new york with at least 213 cases is the site of the nation's first containment zone, new rochelle, new york is one of the largest clusters of the virus in the united states, with over 100 cases, linked to a new rochelle attorney who is still hospitalized in critical condition. the once bustling town is on lockdown. the national guard also on the way beginning tomorrow.

the mayor. when people hear that the national guard is coming in, they picture some militarized community. you say that's not what it will be. >> the guard is here to provide logistical and operational support to the community, big part of that is delivering meals to kids not able to attend school and eligible for free or reduced-cost lunches. >> reporter: nationwide, the virus has prompted more than 1500 schools to close, impacting more than a million students. new rochelle is only 25 miles from new york city. a city of over 8 million, taking extra precautions today. see cbs news announced two employees tested positive. >> i don't think anyone in the world was prepared for a large scale outbreak. >> reporter: tom hanks and his wife rita wilson tested positive and are in australia. the nba suspending the season after a utah jazz player tested

positive. as coronavirus continues to spread around the world, some countries are scrambling to contain the deadly disease. yesterday in italy, the number of fatalities at 630. tonight coronavirus has claimedclaimed claimeclaimed claimed 827 lives. >> these shelves would be filled with toilet paper. now they are empty. after the numbers we saw in italy you get the sense now if people think if something like that could happen in italy it could happen in any european country. >> reporter: finding out who is carrying covid-19 is essential to stopping the outbreak. there have been almost 9,000 tests administered in the u.s. and health professionals warn there aren't nearly enough tests to meet the demand. >> at this stage, testing millions and millions of americans, even those who aren't sick would be an optimal

outcome, just one that's not within reach. >> reporter: cruise ships a hotbed of infection. 21 tested positive on the "grand princess" which was held off the coast of san francisco pending results. 2400 passengers slowly began disembarking monday and are being isolated for 14 days. >> disembarkation will be given to those with urgent needs. >> reporter: they were among the first to leave. >> had they known about this, they would never have boarded that cruise ship, ever. >>i >> i've had this morning's breakfast turned me off. >> reporter: debbie says her parents' dream trip to hawaii quickly turned into a floating nightmare. >> literally, passengers would get off the ship, go through makeshift triage and have their temperature taken and that was it. and they were sent together, paed to a military base. >> reporter: tonight the couple giving us a glimpse inside

travis air force base in california. they are currently feeling fine and showing no symptoms. >> just very depressing walking around seeing everybody in their masks. >> masks. >> they are confined to that room except they're allowed to go downstairs to obtain their meals. they're allowed six feet away from the bidding in an enclosed, gated area. there's a bench and they'll sit out there and eat so they are a not on top of anyone else. they want to keep their space and they want fresh air. >> reporter: she says her parents still haven't been tested for covid-19. >> they said they're going to test within 72 hours according to the literature. i wonder if they will or not because we have not been tested. >> how are you and mom doing today? >> reporter: she say it is could have been avoided. she's representing her parents, suing princess cruise lines for more than $1 million in damages, claiming that the cruise line lacked proper screening protocol and they continued sailing with

thousands of passengers knowing some had already been exposed to covid-19. >> they had a responsibility to their passengers and their crew to make sure that they would not be exposed to something so horrible. and yet they did nothing. >> reporter: princess cruise is telling abc news that they are focussed on the well-being of their guests and crew. within the parameters mandated on them on the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of the new illness and that they would not comment on pending litigation. question of how to move forward at the forefront of everyone's minds as the secretary of human services alex azar warns this is far from over. >> every day is a vablg dluable. that's why public cooperation is important. >> reporter: despite dire circumstances, experts are urging people to remain calm but be prepared.

>> it's important to distinguish panic from deliberate urgency. don't overreact, do the right thing and we're going to get through this. >> and a reminder, dr. jen ashton will be back here tomorrow to answer your coronavirus questions. so tweet them with #ask"nightline." up next, getting creative to slow the spread of covid-19. ♪ things are getting clearer, yeah i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin ♪ yeah that's all me. ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin ♪ that's my new plan. ♪ nothing is everything. keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. and skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. ♪ i see nothing in a different way ♪ ♪ and it's my moment so i just gotta say ♪

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united to fight a common foe, the coronavirus. redefining a way of life for millions. here's abc's maggie rulli. >> right now we're going out to get the groceries. we're a bit south of milan. >> reporter: in italy, it's become a familiar scene. >> to put it into perspective, this is the highway that every commuter uses to get in and out of city. >> hi, so i'm hunter. >> reporter: for american hunter brokaw who lives in milan, a new routine in uncertain times. >> we scheduled our days so we made like lunch and like breakfast, lunch, dinnertimes, and after dinner, and we're like, tto keep ourselves occupied with fun things like our like at home film festival. >> reporter: a life confined to his apartment and the occasional grocery run as the entire country of italy enters the third day of lockdown due to

coronavirus. >> we have tape with numbers on it. so we started counting down the days or the number of days. >> reporter: in nearby florence. >> the atmosphere is very surreal. it's very weird. we are all kind of, we don't really know what to think. >> reporter: another usually bustling street quieted. >> police is stopping people, because you're not allowed to move, for example if you're from florence and you want to go a little town outside of florence, let's say you can't. you need to have a good reason. you need to have a paper and signed and the good reason can be only work or health. >> reporter: social distancing is what experts are calling this approach. >> the idea with social distancing is that it does what we call flattening the curve, so it slows the spread of this virus. it can protect vulnerable populations. and it buys us time. part of the key story with a virus outbreak like this is

time. as the clock ticks, the virus spreads. and so these kind of measures can help give us some time to respond. >> reporter: in practice, it also amounts to taking all the joys of modern life, sports, friendly gatherings and stripping out all the parts where we're close to each other. social distancing doesn't mean you're sick. it doesn't mean i'm sick. it just says hey, let's try not to get sick or get each other sick. >> social distancing, while it obviously has advantages when we're trying to prevent the spread of the coronavirus does have negative implications sometimes in terms of our feeling of social support. >> reporter: music festivals, conferences, all canceled to slow the spread of corona, even march madness games will be played without spectators. and popular daytime shows. and the "view" driven by their studio audiences are going crowdless. >> there's no audience. >> yes, i was just about to sort of mention that. because it's a historic day.

>> sorry, i jumped the gun for you.y. >> whether or not cancellation of large gatherings and events will be helpful is only something we'll be able to tell when this is in the rear view mirror. if it's low-risk to cancel something and it may provide some benefit in either slowing the spread or protecting some individuals, then in those cases i think from a medical and scientific and public health standpoint it's appropriate to minimize risk. >> reporter: for millions around the world, empty streets and grocery lines are not yet a reality, they soon could be. and as public life adjusts to deal with the global pandemic, on a personal level, social distancing can be isolating and awkward. take a look at this clip of angela merkel going in for a hand shake only to get rebuffed. >> social touching like handshakes or embraces are one of the ways that we get emotional support and signs of

acceptance. and so when we do have a virus that's preventing us from getting that, there is a level of emotional discomfort and a lack of social reassurance that can be i have unnerving. >> reporter: social distancing is different than isolation. that is very restrictive and reserved for people who are experiencing illness, which is also different than quarantine, a preventive measure for people who may have been exposed to someone who is sick. but the effects can be all similar. >> social support is one of our fundamental tools for dealing with stress. so when we have a stressor that impedes our ability to access social support it kind of exacerbates stress. if you're fighting the virus and you're in isolation i would encourage you to literally face time so that you can take care of yourself and the social and emotional wellness level, too. which is really important to your immune system also. >> reporter: our james longman's in quarantine after returning from a reporting trip to italy.

>> it's quite boring. between lives, i'm, have every intention of reading my books. but actually, in the end, i'm just watching a movie. >> reporter: even in these difficult and uncertain times, many people are finding moments of levity and even joy. new ways to connect. rubbing elbows no longer just an idiom. and rock, paper scissors more than just a game. for "nightline," i'm maggie rulli in london. >> our thanks to maggie. and we'll be right back. r help. because you didn't have another dvt. not today. one blood clot puts you at risk of having another, so we chose xarelto®, to help keep you protected. xarelto® is proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt or pe blood clots from happening again. almost 98% of people did not have another dvt or pe. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of blood clots. while taking, a spinal injection increases the risk of blood clots,

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did you know that people born from 1945 through 1965 have the highest rates of hepatitis c, but most don't know they're infected? people can live for decades without symptoms, but over time hepatitis c can cause serious health problems. if you were born during these years,

the cdc now recommends that you get a blood test for hepatitis c. so talk to your doctor and find out if you have hepatitis c. it could save your life. know more. kwoin and finally tonight, this month marks the 40th anniversary of our broadcast. "nightline" was born in response to a crisis, giving facts, context, and, when possible, comfort as the nation dealt with the iran hostages. 40 years later, the coronavirus is our new challenge. like then, facts, context and when possible comfort will be our goal every night. it was american businessman j. willard marriott who said good timber does not grow with ease. the stronger the wind, the

stronger the tree. my friends, we are a nation of good timber. that's "nightline" for this evening. thanks for the company, america. goodnight.

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