phil: this is "dw news," live from berlin. president trump announces a major change in u.s. policy on coronavirus. pres. trump: i'm officially declaring a national emergency. phil: the announcement will free up of billions to contain the virus is spread. also on the program committee rep passes agreement milestone as the number of and -- passes a grim milestone as the number of infections sores. >> europe has become the a

epicenter of the pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined apart from china. phil: i'm phil gayle welcome to the program. u.s. president donald trump has just declared a national emergency in the united takes over the spread of coronavirus. the move opens up billions of dollars in disaster fundings and gives special powers to health authorities. pres. trump: to unleash the full power of the federal government in this effort today, i am officially declaring a national emergency. two very big words. the action i am taking will open up access to up to $50 billion of very importantly -- very important and a large amount

for states and territories and localities in our shared fight against this disease. phil: let's get more from dw correspondent stefan simons in washington. any big surprises in the president's announcement? stefan: no, not really. we would expect he would declare a national emergency and he tries to clean up the confusion he left with the address to the nation 48 hours ago, and specifically the travel ban from europe. he did so, number one, national emergency freeze up $50 billion to put into the system to the states, to the communities who are fighting increases cries-- increasing prices on coronavirus in united. the travel ban u.s. citizens can travel back to the united states but have to agree to a 14-day quarantine, no was initially not really clear and was leading to some not so nice scenes in international airports in

europe and everywhere else. that was the president focusing on three things -- national disaster, $50 billion fed money into the communities b, partnership with the tech industry as well as the pharmaceutical industry, of course. private sector always important for donald trump. thirdly, he snuck this a little bit income he will purchase large amounts of oil to stock up the strategic reserve because the oil price is down very much and he likes that. phil: the president has been criticized for his response to this crisis. will today's announcements satisfy the public? stefan: i'm not sure about satisfying, but it will at least calm some nerves, not just on the stock exchange, which is rising as he spoke, but also in the general public, because it now shows that the president understands how serious this is. it took him a while, i guess, to

come around. i guess everybody would agree that this was rather frustrating for experts, for people who work with them, for friends and foes across the political spectrum. now it clicked with the president and that explains this measure today, declaring of the national emergency. phil: lawmakers in congress are also working on their own coronavirus measures. what are they doing? stefan: they are focusing on basically the same thing, bringing testing testing testing as fast as possible and widely, broadly as possible to the masses in americaca, and for fr. congress decided on funding measures, billions of dollars, heavy measures, to have tests available for everybody for free and to home, who have now to take care of children because schools in of a thing else, universities have closed

all over the place. measures to make the management of this crisis a little bit easier, and of course the management for families, people who need help in terms of money because they cannot go to work. phil: stefan simons in washington, thank you. that is the politics of the pandemic in the united states. let's look at the medical science about what is going on. a professor of preventative medicine at vanderbilt univerersity in the u.s. city of nashville. welcome, professor. as part of his announcement, the president said 500,000 additional coronavirus testing kits will be available early next week. 50500,000. is that credidible? >> i don''t know if it is crcredible, but it sure woulbe welcome, becausese we need to do much more testing. it is one thing to have the testing kits. it is anotother thing t to have places on the ground where the

patients can be evaluated anand the specimens obtained to send to the laboratory. and that is the other part that is still in many parts of the country, including in my own community, not working very well yet. phil: you say this is going to be welcome. what have you made of the way u.s. authorities have dealt with the pandemic soso farar? >> well,l, w we get good reportn things thahat we o obvuslyly cod have beeeen better. early on we contain ththe virus vevery, veryry well. ththe travel ban with china a ws very helpful in ththe meeting te importatioion of cases. but now that the virus is out spreading, we don't know where it is. we don't t know h how dense the virus s is in differerent partsf this very lalarge country. that i is because we haven't tetested. ththe whole provision of thee ts has done much too slowly. phil: why was that? is it because they y weren't

available or local 30's were not taking it seriously enough-- local authorities were not taking it seriously enough? dr. schaffner: it wass not so much the local side, it was the cdc. originally the world health organization had a test by german scientist they are using around the world, but the cdc decided to create its own test. fine, the cdc often does that. that took longer. then the cdc started testing using its own laboratory but had very narrow. --narrow criteria for accepting specimens. and when it started to send the test kits out to the 50 state laboratories, some of them didn't work. they had to be recalled, things had to be regeared and sent out again. that was a very prolonged process with several stumbles in the way. phil: how much is the lacacof the e lack of f a formalal heale hamperining efforts therere--

affordable h health care hamampg efforts thehere? dr. . schaffner: i think it as o ththe problelems in ththe field. now,w, it is possisible to get a freeee test through the state publicic health laboratories,s,t you have to have a p provider there toto see the patient, gett the specimemen, and send it offo the laboratory that is where the problem occurs. there arare many people in this country who do not have a regular doctor. phil: are there lessons that the united states can learn from china or, indeed,d, europope ins fifight? dr. schaffner:r: welell, for su. we have reinforced the nototion that travel b ban's may work, en though my public heah collegee mate looook askancece--public hh colllleagues may look askancncet that. widespread testing -- don'n't be so narrow. spread it out. be enthusiastic about testing. that is lesson we can learn. phil: good talking to you.

thank you so much f for joining us, professor wililliam schaffnr from vanderbilt university. the number of people killed by coronavirus is past 5000. governments around the world are working to halt schools, that he large gatherings, and in some cases closing national borders. the head of the world health organization had this assessment. >> europe has become the epicenter of the pandemic, w wih more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined. apart from china. more cases are now being reported every day than were reported in china at the highest of the epidemic. phil: the eu commission president has promised to do whatever it takes to help the bloc deal with the pandemic. she has pledged to help redirect a vital medical assistance to

hard-hit areas like italy. italian health officials say more than 250 people have died from covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the biggest single-day job since the outbreak began. reporter: on the frontline of europe's coronavirus battle, italy's health system is under pressure, with more than 50 dozen current cases, patient-- 15,000 current cases, patients are having to rely on makeshift medical services. >> the main problem is that the fears of patients who come to us when they end up in something that is not a traditional hospital building. a tent does not give them reassurance. reporter: with a huge spike in infections in the last 24 hours, spain has europe's second-highest rate of the virus. the capital, madrid, has become a ghost town. prime minister pedro sanchez has declared a two-week state of emergency, a decision that will

all of him to mobilize all resources to fight the outbreak, including the military. old restaurants, bars, and shots in the capital are being forced to close, with only supermarkets and pharmacies to remain open. >> we made the serious mistake of thinking that italy was far away, that this wasn't going to charge us. over the coming week we are going to see situations we would have never imagined, that we had only seen in films and on tv. reporter: in france, new stricter measures are being put in place in a bid to limit person-to-person contact. >> we are going to raise that limit to gatherings of 100 people. the idea, again, is to make sure we can slow down the progression, the spread of the virus. reporter: french schools will also be closed from monday.

around europe, such drastic measures are the latest tools in the bloc's five to contain the coronavirus. phil: authorities in germany have announced a series of measures to contain the coronavirus and minimize the damage from the outbreak. this includes half a trillion in state aid to companies. the virus continues to disrupt every aspect of daily life. officials have suspended the top-flight football league, at most schools will close next week. reporter: coronavirus now defines daily life in germany. starting next week, schools and kindergartens in many federal states like here in bavaria will remain closed. the measurable affect not only millions of schoolchildren, but their parents as well. yesterday, german chancellor angela merkel said the country's response to the virus would have far-reaching consequences. "wherever possible, social

contact should be avoided. of course,e, the country must still be able to function properly, and the core areas of the economy must continue to function." the head of the institute for public health pointed out that the speed at which the virus spreads would vary a lot throughout germany. he said individual states should make decisions based on regional data. >> i think the most important thing to understand about this epidemic spreading through the country is that it is not just start in one place in advance evenly in one direction, but as we know very well from flew over the decades-- flu over the decades, particular regions are more highly affected. reporter: a computer simulation shows what to expect. comparisons reveal how the rate to region. the central council of muslims in germany called for friday prayers to be canceled, though

it is not clear how many mosques complied. german rail has issued a statement saying there will be no alterations to travel schedules for the time being. phil: closures, cancellations, social distancing -- in just a matter of weeks coronavirus has changed everyday life. welcome, william. how are people in germany -- >> i was just outside before the program to get a sense of things. grocery stores and shelves are starting to empty out. there is something palpable in the air that peoplple feel. we are in exceptional circumstances, because what has happened in berlin and around germany's what we see coming for a while. to be closed until easter, bars and clubs in berlin from all the famous clubs that people know about in berlin, closed as of tuesday. transport restricted. it's definitely drastic times, but we see people coming

together in other ways, whether it is to help families with children and elderly people, a lot of outreach in terms of communities and the neighborhoods. although our theaters are closed, they are doing their best to try to still bring culture to the masses. we have some video here of the berlin philharmonic with the conductor there opening of free streaming. it is usually a paywall. for 30 days, free streaming. we can have a quick listen here. this is what you can do with the philharmonic on their website right now. ♪ william: see if the website can keep up with the demand now that it is open for anybody to see or class classical music. phil: and we are not interacting in the same way. william: no, we have seen in italy, which has been locked it down, many parts several days, getting a bit of cabin fever, an interesting video coming out of their in naples, rome, people

singing the national anthem, coming together in a spontaneous flash mob. people on their balconies, slamming pots, singing together, just showing solidarity that they are still around, still alive. phil: ok, thank you so much. countries in southeast asia like indonesia and the philippines have also been affected by this pandemic. a member of the philippines u.n. delegation in your tested positive for the virus sending the entire delegation into quarantine. in manila authorities will begin to implement a travel ban and a quarantined of the capital's 12 million people. despite having fewer than 40 cases from indonesia is ramping up its response, beginning with a massive is infection campaign -- disinfection campaign. reporter: this is indonesia's

biggest mosque. it can accommodate more than 10,000 worshipers and it is an icon for the nation's believers. but in the times of the novel coronavirus, it is a threat to public health, which is why they are distant that in this and other mosques, under the watchful eye of the indonesian president. >> we have rolled up and removed all the carpets, because they are a potential source of disease, and we are spraying disinfectant. reporter: singapore is going a step further, closing all mosques in the city state for at least five days. disinfection crews are becoming a common sight from seoul to tokyo to manila. the philippine capital is now facing a month-long lockdown after president rodrigo duterte issued an order to suspend all domestic travel. it has left many worried about food supplies. >> they said there would be a

lockdown, and we are skied we will not be able to buy food and go on to get reporter: the philippine government has sought to reassure citizens and cautioned against panic buying. >> we would like to stress that the transport of goods to metro manila from the provinces and vice versa will remain subject to guidelines. reporter: don't panic and don't stockpile. but avoid travel and large gatherings. that is the message being peddled across asia as the continent tries to slow the spread of the virus. official numbers from the epicenter of the outbreak suggest it is possible. on fririday, china repeported jt five new cases of the coronavirus in wuhan, the lowest daily tally in the city since january. these days, the virus is spreading faster in other countries than asia and the world. phil: here is a look at more of

today's coronavirus developments. denmark is to close its borders as of noon on saturday as they try to slow its spread. chinese billionaire jack markell for the united states 5 million pounds in coronavirus testing kits and a million masks. the u.s. faces a shortage. brazilian president gerbils in a row has tested negative for the virus, according--tire bolsonaro has tested they can do for the virus, according to his statement on his facebook page. and pedro sanchez will declare a state of emergency on saturday over the outbreak. for the latest on the virus, including information of what to do if you might be infected, visit our website, dw.com. let's look at what else is making news in the world outside your window. iraqis to cement a formal complaint to the united nations over u.s. air strikes on its territory. u.s. launched retaliatory airstrikes overnight against a paul ryan militia group it-- pro-iran militia group.

i guess is the effects are a violation baghdad says the ethics are a violation of its sovereignty. wikileaks source chelsea manning has been released f from a u.s. prison. manning has been in detention since last may for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating wiki links. lawyers say the release comes after she attempted suicide. three turkish man have been sentenced to 125 years in jail each for their role in the death of the two-year-old syrian bouy. he died in 2015 when a dinky capsized-- dinghy capsized. he became a symbol of worldwide suffering caused by the refugee crisis. several eu countries have reached a deal to take it unaccompanied children that live in overcrowded migrant camps in greece. the eu home affairs commissioner

announced the plan after a meeting of interior ministers in brussels. there are currently hundreds of unaccompanied children in the camps. many cases of violence and abuse and exploitation. reporter: unaccompanied children in migrant camps, many of them in a poor state of health. about 5000 are estimated to be in greece, 2000 in fafacilitiesn greek isndnds. now aa seven-n-nation coaoalitif the willing including germany, france, and portugal, wants to take 1600 of them in. >> it is a sign ofof how we can help greece, not just with money, but with actions. reporter: eu ministers met in brussels to work out the details and to t try to convince more countries to join the coalition. croatia and lithuania are in talks. eu commissioner went to greece to discuss mounting a coordinated response, but most eu states have refused to take in anymore refugees, even if

they are unaccompanied minors. >> sweden welcomes that some member states are discussing to take a broader responsibility for minors. that is good. >> the netherlands is willing to give every support to greece which is necessary -- registration, identification, etc. but we are not willing to take all their children. reporter: the difficult job of choosing which choking get to leave the camps for countries in the coalition--which children get to leave the cans for countries in the coalition will be the response ability of the united nations and on-site in groups. phil: now to new zealand, which is marking a year since the christchurch massacre. 51 people were killed and dozens injured in the attack on the city's muslim community. survivors of the shooting and other residents attended community prayers in an indoor stadium to pay to get to the victims. leaders of the two mosques led the joint service and witnesses heard testimony from survivors.

prime minister jacinda ardern attended the event. before the service, she said that new zealand needs to continue to challenge racism. prime min. ardern: i believe new zealand and its people have fundamentally changed. i can't see how you can have an event like this and not on the challenge for us will be ensuring that in our everyday actions, and every opportunity where we see oleic bullying -- bullying, harassment, discrimination, racism, calling it out as a nation. that is when we look show that we each individually have a role to play in making sure that new zealand has fundamentally changed form. reporter: the mass shooting was something new for new zealand. the cover had not had such massacre--the country had been proud ththat it had not had such mamassacres,s, and the respopons novevel in manyy ways. the gunmen had live-streamed the massacres online.

you wanted to become a global figure-- he wanted to become a global figure. prime minister jacinda ardern took an unusual step and refuse to give him the notoriety he was looking for. prime min. ardern: he is a terrorist be is a criminal, he is an extremist, but he will when i speak be nameless. reporter: she also showed solidarity with the muslim community and donned a headscarf to lead a nation in defiant momourning. >> many ofof those whoho will of been directly affected by the shooting may be m migrants to nw zealand. they may even be refugees here. they have chosen to make new zealand oror home, and i it is r home. they are us. reporter: new z zealand also std out by following warm words with concrete action. within weeks, the government launched a gun buyback scheme. a month later, it banned semiautomatic rifles.

phil: here is a reminder of our top story. u.s. president donald trump has declared a national emergency over this putting coronavirus. the move gives states access to $50 billion in federal funds to fight the spread of infection. don't forget you can always get "dw news" on the go. download our app from google plate or the app store and it will give you access to the latest news around the world as well as push notifications for breaking news. if you are part of a new story, you can use it to send us photos and videos of what is going on. in just a moment, i will be back with "the day." for now, i will leave you with more of the berlin philharmonic. rather than call off a concert amid the virus fears, the orchestra is streaming the performance online with no audience present. here is some of the concert. ♪

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twenty four en france twenty four .com. and a very warm welcome back to france twenty four times and i'm chante it's nine pm in the french capital here are top stories of the south. the race is on in the us system the spread of the coronavirus and contain the political fallout. donald t trump declalares a nationonal emergency this friday u. s. president is under incrcreasing pressure to act. with a the one thousand seseven hundred cases confirmed nationwide. europe is now the at the center of the pandemic that's according to the world healthth organization. areas countries across the continent are resorting to nationwide lockdowns in schools shut downs. as numbers