tom. >> stephanie ramos leading us off tonight. stephanie, thank you. >>> now to the spike in cases in california. l.a.'s mayor predicting this could be the week of a massive surge. governor gavin newsom like so many others in desperate need of ventilators. he said 170 arrived broke anyone a recent shipment. governor newsom telling us the state is now reaching out to famous billionaires for help. abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman is in california. >> reporter: tonight major cities in america bracing for that onslaught of patients. in california, the number of icu patients more than doubling over the past 48 hours. the number of cases surging in the nation's most populous state past 5,000 along with the lag time in test results. >> average right now of our commercial lab is seven days yesterday, average. we're seeing some as many as 12 days. that's unacceptable. >> reporter: los angeles the epicenter with more than 1,800 cases and more than 30 deaths. the mayor warning l.a. could look like new york within days. here in s

>> all right, stephanie ramos leading us off tonight. stephanie, thank you. >>> next, to that stunning travel warning. the state department advising americans not to get on a cruise ship. it comes as that ship held off the coast of california for days is finally being allowed to dock. but when the "grand princess" arrives tomorrow, most of the 2,400 passengers onboard will head to federal facilities to be quarantined. here's abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman in san francisco. >> reporter: tonight, the stunning warning from the u.s. state department, telling citizens not to travel on cruise ships, especially people with underlying health conditions. that colossal logistical effort under way. government authorities preparing to offload over 2,400 passengers aboard the "grand princess" cruise ship. the captain making the announcement. >> we will arrive at some time on monday. >> reporter: the passengers will be taken to this port in oakland. the most ill moved off first and sent to hospitals. all others taken to military bases i

tom. >> stephanie ramos on the breaking developments tonight. ephanie, thank you. >>> now to the critical short age at hospitals across the country. mayors say more than 90% of u.s. cities don't have an adequate supply of test kits or masks and of course those ventilators are in high demand. doctors and nurses say they feel as if they're choosing sometimes between their patient's safety and their own. here's trevor ault. >> reporter: tonight, officials' desperate calls for more ventilators are growing louder. the president enacting the korean war-era defense production act ordering general motors to manufacture the much-needed medical equipment. in the hard-hit state of new york, the governor says they'll need 30,000 ventilators, and should they not get them they may have to resort to what are called bag valve masks -- essentially hand-held ventilators that require a person to continuously pump them. >> we're very frightened it's going to get worse. >> reporter: dr. roland waguespack is the e.r. director at east jefferson general hospital near ne

they say they removed the driver's access to the app and are working with authorities. >> stephanie ramos reporting from manhattan's west side. stephanie, thank you. >>> so many of us have questions about this virus and what each of us can be doing to stop the spread. dr. jen ashton joins us now. from the reporting tonight, we've learned that two more nursing homes have been affected in washington state. we know the elderly are most vulnerable to the virus. do we know why it's hitting nursing homes? >> you have to understand, in a skilled nursing home facility it's really a revolving door of sorts. you have patients going in and out from hospitals, to hospitals, in and out of the community. you have visitors, including grandchildren, coming in on a regular basis, and you have staff often times will leave the nursing home job and not only go to their homes but possibly other jobs as well. so a really ripe population to be at risk for this. >> what can we do to prevent elderly people from contracting the virus? >> well, i think a couple of things, tom. and the first thing is we have to star

the demand from the governors is great. >> all right, stephanie ramos joins us live from new york. and stephanie, that shutdown order, i want to go back to that, set to go into effect in a just a couple of hours in new york city. what are officials here in the city planning to do to stop those crowds we've been seeing? >> reporter: well, tom, new york city's mayor and police commissioner say they are cracking down on large gathering in city parks to prevent exposure to covid-19. the mayor says nypd will drive around, telling groups of people not to linger in city parks. officers will go into grocery stores and other public spaces to encourage social distancing. the mayor emphasizing, though, that they're going to try this out for a week and then reassess these procedures. tom? >> all right, we could see that enforcement moving forward. stephanie, thank you for that. >>> now to the nation's hospitals making emergency demands. some doctors and nurses running low on protective gear, many reusing their masks. some hospitals reporting a 50% surge in coronavirus patients. here's abc's ad

stephanie ramos, abc news, new york. >>> and attendee at last week's conservative political reactiond tested positive for covid-19. president trump and vice president pence were at the conference but officials say they were never in close contact with the person who tested positive. the american conservative union said the exposure occurred before the conference and the person infected has been quarantined in new jersey. >>> more coronavirus test kits are arriving in california. at least 15 health departments now have them. contra costa county had 300 kits and helped test officials on the "grand princess." health officials in other parts of the country have expressed concerns about a storage of the kit. and san francisco canceled several events, including today's sunday streets in the mission. walt disney family museum in the presidio is closed today and annual san francisco st. patrick's day parade, set for this coming saturday, has calle. sales force is j growing number of companies encouraging people to work from home if they can because of the coronavirus. this goes for workers i

stephanie ramos, new york. >>> i think we could all use a go feel-good story, right? dog born without front legs, he has captured the hearts of many and just rolled into the perfect home. ♪ >> come on, buddy. >> this is my buddy rue, i'm 28 years old, he's 6 months. good boy. we both roll around a little bit. come on, boy. he was born with no front legs so he hops around like a kangaroo, that's where he got his name. >> superman! >> he was down south, they were saying somebody was going to put him in a bag and throw him in the river. i'm glad that didn't happen because we got the little guy. that's a good boy. >> 2009, i got in a car accident. somebody ran threw a red light. ran from the cops i was paralyzed, airlifted. it's been life on wheels since then. you know, i make the best of it, keep going, no big deal. the whole community came together and built a ramp out front. tore up most of the carpet and put in hardwood. opened and widened most of the doorways in the house. put a back deck on, making sure that i had a comfortable place to call home. and roo, came alon

abc7 news reporter stephanie ramos as the latest. >> reporter: this morning as the u.s.ls with the most cases of coronavirus worldwide, president trump now says he's ordering general motors to manufacture those much-needed ventilators, moving forward with the defense production act. >> oftentimes you don't need ventilators very much, hospitals don't have have many and we're turning out we have to produce large numbers. >> reporter: in new york, where cases have soared past 44,000, governor andrew cuomo says he needs more ventilators now. >> and the people that are on ventilators much longer than most patients are on ventilators. these covid patients can come in and need a ventilator for up to 20 kkukukukuku facility. but the governor warns it might not be enough as he asks the president to build four more facilities. the virus hitting new york city's first responders. the nypd reporting its second death with more than 500 members of the force sick with covid-19. throughout the country, other states on high alert. in detroit, michigan, the chief of police testing positive

we have team coverage this morning and we start with abc's stephanie ramos right here in times square. stephanie, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, good morning. the governors of new york, new jersey and connecticut reacting strongly against the president's idea to quarantine the region, calling it an illegal lockdown. the cdc has now put in place travel warnings instead as covid-19 cases in new york go up. this morning, new york city alone now has more than 30,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. and more than 200 deaths in just the last 24 hours. president trump tweeting overnight that a federally enforced quarantine of the region will not be necessary, and is instead having the cdc issue a strong travel advisory, urging new york area residents to not travel domestically for at least 14 days. the decision coming hours after new york's governor hit back at a quarantine proposal floated by the president, raising fears that the government would shut down major parts of the northeast. >> if you start walling off areas all across the country, it would be totally bizarre, counterp

. >>> additional travel restrictions have put in place abc's stephanie ramos joins us with all the details on that. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning. many airlines are either suspending travel to areas impacted by the coronavirus or offering travelers waivers to change or cancel their trips. this is clearly a global problem, with concern growing every day. this morning, with new coronavirus cases erupting in italy and south korea, and now that an american has died from the virus, the trump administration is implementing new travel restrictions. >> we're urging americans to not travel to the areas in italy and the areas in south korea that are most affte coronavirus. >> reporter: both countries have hundreds of infected patients, and the state department said they'll coordinate screenings for all passengers before they depart from either country to america. with iran, the administration is taking a more aggressive stance, saying iranians or any foreign nationals in iran in the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter the u.s. there are nearly 600 cases of the corona

abc's stephanie ramos joining us live in times square with the latest. morning. >> reporter: hey, whit, good morning. new york officials are telling people to stay home or practice social distancing if they're out until there is a decline in covid-19 cases. so far there are nearly 50,000 across the state, and now the governor's called for more ventilator and it may be answered. this morning as the u.s. deals with the most cases of coronavirus worldwide, president trump now says he's ordering general motors to manufacture those much needed ventilators moving forward with the defense production act. >> we will not hesitate to use the full authority of the federal government. >> reporter: in new york where cases have soared past 44,000, governor andrew cuomo says he needs more ventilators now. cuomo touring fema's new field hospital in manhattan, 1,000 new beds available here when it opens monday. but the governor warns it might not be enough. the virus hitting new york city's first responders. the nypd reporting its second death with more than 500 members o

officials all over the country are scrambling right now to respond and abc's stephanie ramos is righte in new york city where the governor has just announced 4,000 people across the state are in precautionary quarantine. stephanie, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, good morning. and one of those patients is being treated here at columbia presbyterian hospital while other new yorkers who are showing symptoms of the virus as you mentioned are being asked to self-quarantine. breaking overnight, the first deaths from covid-19 on the east coast, two people in florida succumbing to the new virus. one in the panhandle, the other near ft. myers both in their 70s with recent overseas travel. in new york state the number of cases quadrupling, 4,000 people in self-quarantine. 2,700 of those in new york city. about half of the confirmed cases linked to a lawyer who remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition. >> this is like a flu on steroids. >> reporter: the state testing around the clock. abc with a first look at new york's department of health wadsworth center in albany. the fi

we begin with stephanie ramos. good morning you, stephanie. >> reporter: eva, good morning.new york city's times square is cleared out and that's exactly what the mayor and governor of new york want to see, people staying at home. especially now that nearly a hundred people have died here in new york due to the coronavirus. coronavirus cases in new york state exploding. at least 11,000 new yorkers diagnosed with the virus, more than half of those cases in new york city. what officials now consider the epicenter of the pandemic in america. >> i know people want to hear it's going to be a matter of weeks and everything's going to be fine. i believe it's going to be a matter of months. >> reporter: new york conducting more tests than any other state. the governor announcing new numbers showing more than half of the state's covid-19 patients are between the ages of 18 and 49. reminding the young they're not immune. >> you're not superman and you're not superwoman. you can get this virus. >> reporter: governor cuomo adding four sites here are on the army corp. of engineers list o

we keep touching our faces as abc's stephanie ramos found out first-hand. >> reporter: we spread germs every day, by touching objects, then our faces, without thinking twice. >> viruses spread when you touch your own mouth, nose, eyes. >> reporter: officials warning us to not do this can't help themselves. how often are we doing it? we asked michelle and greg solo to let us follow them and 8-year-old russell and 6-year-old twins colin and brandon. as we keep track of how many different items they touch throughout the day, and then -- how many times they touch their faces. we set up cameras and have producers count. we watch the family get ready for school and work. >> colin, breakfast! >> reporter: in less than an hour one of the boys touched nearly 70 items, and his face 12 times, before the bus even arrives. when the kids get home from school -- we start the count again. and now have them put this powder on their hands. >> we're going to do an experiment. we're going to put glo-germ on your hands. once we're done, we're going to flash this black light, go around your house, and see e

stephanie ramos has more. >> reporter: tonight, american airlines and delta canceling all flights to milan as cases in italy spike. this, after the trump administration implemented the highest travel advisory to regions of italy and south korea. the administration also announcing screenings overseas. >> the president has also directed the state department to coordinate a screening, medical screening, in their countries of any individuals that are coming in to the united states of america. >> reporter: but today president trump adding in a tweet, "they will also be screened when they arrive in america." cases of coronavirus keep mounting. in italy, they've almost doubled in 24 hours, with more than 1,600 people now infected. 34 have died. today, st. mark's square in venice is almost deserted. and in rome, a church closed after a priest was diagnosed. the pope making his first public appearance since getting a cold four days ago. he coughed while greeting worshippers from his balcony. he's now canceling his upcoming trip, although there is no indication his symptoms are linked to the c

stephanie ramos, abc news, newark, new jersey. >>> in business news there appears to be a move to push out the ceo of twitter. multiple reports say elliot management company wants to get rid of jack dorsey. reports say elliot is also unhappy with twitter's stock which has dropped 6% since dorsey's return in 2015. >>> daredevil nik wallenda puts his life on the line again this week right here on abc. >> wallenda is set to walk across an active volcano in nicaragua wednesday night. he said the idea came to him six years ago and he's been looking for the right spot ever since. "volcano live with nik wallenda" will be the longest and highest walk for him ever. >> the last one with his sister gave me heart palpitations. this one he's going to wear a gas mask because the gases above the opening there. he's been training with oxygen masks. >> it's incredible. it's just incredible. >> i don't know how he does it. but he's going to do it and he's going to do it right here on abc and we will be watching. >>> coming up, new developments involving those missing children from idaho. >>> plus the ex

stephanie ramos, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to stephanie. >>> federal health officials do say they're doing their best to rush coronavirus test kits to hospitals around the country. they say about 4 million of them will be available by the end of this week. >>> overseas, italy is taking drastic measures. 16 million people there are now on lockdown. italy has the most infections outside china. weddings and funerals have been postponed, ski resorts, gyms, and malls are closed, and visitors are banned from the vatican museum. >> french president emmanuel macron has announced a ban on all events of more than 1,000 people. so far 19 people have died there. >>> moving to politics, tomorrow what is you could call super tuesday round two, and michigan is the top prize. bernie sanders revamped his schedule to focus on the state, while joe biden is looking to build on his momentum from last week. abc's rachel scott has the details. >> reporter: senator bernie sanders storming through michigan, betting on the state to hand him a victory again. >> and on tuesday, if we stick together, if

stephanie ramos, abc news, new york. >>> and senators are returning to the negotiating table this morninglar economic package. democrats voted against moving forward with it saying it was tilted toward corporations and didn't go far enough to help american workers and health care providers. mitch mcconnell accused the democrats of playing with the emotions of the american people. >> if we aren't able to act tomorrow, it will be because of our colleagues on the other side continuing to dicker when the country expects us to come together and address this problem. >> mcconnell placed blame squarely on nancy pelosi. democrats call it a slush fund for corporations. >>> and hospitals in hard hit areas are feeling the strain with shortage of supplies. this morning growing concern inside america's hospitals. as doctors on the frontlines plead for help. >> it is a scary time to be a doctor. >> reporter: the fear of surge of coronavirus patients has hit new york city. this image on social media showing medical staff at one new york hospital wearing garbage bags as gowns. at a brooklyn hospital, doc

stephanie ramos reports. >> reporter: a nation in crisis.onfirmed cases of coronavirus across the country. and more than 2,000 deaths. the top doctor advising president trump, dr. anthony fauci, with a stark warning, saying the u.s. could see up to 100,000 to 200,000 people die from covid-19. the total cases could number in the millions. >> what we're trying to do is not let that happen. >> the modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks. >> reporter: the president extending white house guidelines to slow the spread until april 30th. >> we can expect that by june 1st we can be well on our way to recovery. >> reporter: new york city alone now with more than 30,000 cases, nearly 1,000 people dead across the state. governor andrew cuomo saying all nonessential workers must stay home for at least two more weeks. >> also for new yorkers, i know we feel under attack. some of the reactions you get from individuals, even from governments, are frightening and suggesting that they'll take abrupt actions against new yor

this morning on "gma," abc news reporter, stephanie ramos, explains what it's like working from home.t what didn't work yesterday, so we are staggering the kids' class time, and my oldest is still sleeping so getting in a couple extra hours of sleep, and we will work with him when our youngest is enjoying play time, and we will pwa balance it out today and see what works best. >> parents now are finding out how difficult teaching can be. one woman said teachers deserve to make $1 billion a year, or a week, for real. people are getting it now, right? >> and this is just the beginning, right? >> yes. >> you will survive. you have to find a way, but you will survive. >>> new at 6:00, a major announcement from tom brady. he just revealed something big about his future in football. >>> and then keeping devices free of germs, the steps you can take to disinfect your cell phone, computer and tablet. >>> first the coronavirus is having a big impact on amazon, and the bad news if you are waiting for a package. >>> you see a little traffic over on the bridge, a few people out -- well, ♪ this is

abc's stephanie ramos is outside columbia presbyterian hospital with more. stephanie, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, the epicenter of the virus here in new york state is just north of west chester county. one man from that area is actually being treated here at the hospital, as officials from across the globe try to curb the spread of this virus. this morning, a scramble in northern italy as officials order a lockdown, nearly a quarter of the nation's population now under travel restrictions in a bid to slow the coronavirus. a u.s. sailor stationed in naples, italy, testing positive for covid-19. the pentagon also confirming a marine stationed in virginia has tested positive as well. after traveling overseas. and overnight, the first case of coronavirus discovered in the nation's capital, a man in his 50s. >> he appears to have no history of international travel and no close contacts with a confirmed case. >> reporter: in new york state, governor andrew cuomo declaring a state of emergency, at least 89 confirmed cases of the virus statewide. 11 in new

stephanie ramos has the results. >> reporter: we spread germs every day by touching objects and then. >> viruses spread when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes. >> reporter: the officials warning us to do this can't help themselves. how often are we doing it? we asked michele and greg to let us follow them and their 8-year-old son russell and 6-year-old twins colin and brandon as we keep track of how many different items they touch throughout the day and then -- >> one, two, three, four. >> reporter: -- how many times they touch their faces. we set up cameras and had producers count. we watch the family get ready for school and work. >> colin, breakfast. >> reporter: in less than an hour one of the boys touched nearly 70 items and his face 12 times before the bus even arrives. when the kids get home from school, we start the count again and now have them put this powder on their hands. so we're going to do a little experiment. we're going to put glo germ on your hands. once we're done we'll flash in black light and go around your house and see where you put your little hands. >>

stephanie ramos has more. how stars are giving back. stephanie. >> reporter: hey there, eva, good to see you guys in person. celebrities like the rest of us, they are doing their best to stay home during this outbreak, but many of them are using their resources and their platform to help those on the front lines of this pandemic. they play doctors on tv. >> hey, your surgery is in o.r. 4. >> reporter: this morning, they are coming to the rescue of the health care workers in need. "grey's anatomy" donating gowns and gloves to hospitals in need of supplies. >> nurses rock. doctors rock, and anyone who works in a hospital or the health care industry, you rock. we love you, stay safe. >> reporter: and "station 19" donating those much needed n95 masks to their local fire station. >> copy. >> reporter: fashion designer christian siriano also offering to help. saying his sewing team could make masks. throughout this past week celebrities stepping up. >> please donate if you can. >> reporter: donating their time, resources and influence to help

abc reporter stephanie ramos has the latest. >> reporter: coronavirus cases in new york state explodingdiagnosed with the virus. more than half of those cases in new york city, what officials now consider the epicenter of the pandemic in america. >> i know people want to hear it will only be a matter of weeks and everything will be fine. i believe it's going to be a matter of months. >> reporter: new york conducting more tests than any other state. the governor announcing new members showing more than half 69 state's covid-19 patients are between 18 to 49, reminding the young they are not immune . >> you're not superman and you're not superwoman. you can get this virus. >> reporter: governor cuomo adding four sites are on the army corps of engineers initial list of temporary hospitals. this as an air traffic control trainee tested positive for covid-19, causing a ground stop at j.f.k. airport and philadelphia international. americans urged not to travel unless necessary. new york's stay-at-home order taking effect tonight as neighboring new jersey joins in, canceling gatherings, orderin

>> stephanie ramos, thank you very much. >>> doctors and nurses on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus are now sharing their harrowing stories and pleading for supplies. abc's trevor ault is at new york city's javits center which has been turned into a makeshift hospital. trevor, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, dan, good morning. so once the javits center has completed its conversion to a hospital come monday, it will be used exclusively to house patients who don't have covid-19. the goal, try to relieve the incredible pressure on the medical system because nurses and doctors are enduring a tremendous physical and emotional toll and so many continue to say they can't get the equipment that they need. across america this morning health care workers are stepping into a medical war zone. in queens, new york, this video shared on facebook earlier this week showing a packed emergency room wall to wall with bedridden patients. >> who is the sickest patient? >> i don't know. >> reporter: as the influx of covid-19 patients grows higher, health care workers are desperate for

we're all in this together including our stephanie ramos. stephanie, how did day one go yesterday? little tired. we're trying to do things a little differently today. but it was tough for the kids. they -- it was tough for them to get into school mode with their toys being so close, but like most families across the country we were taking it one task at a time. >> reporter: at least 35 million public school students are home and millions of americans now have to work remotely. >> are we all done? >> reporter: what does that all add up to? one steep learning curve. >> i am, in fact, working from home. it has been a little challenging. we are going to get through this. >> reporter: my colleague, karen travers of abc radio, sharing a start to a productive morning. a 9:00 a.m. morning facetime with the grandparents to a slightly different scene at 5:00 p.m. ♪ no more monkeys jumping on the bed ♪ >> reporter: at least the kids enjoyed it. >> narrator: cali, what do you miss about school? >> nothing. >> reporter: our viewers sending in their first day experiences. here's rachel from chic

stephanie ramos joins us with the family survival guide. ter: well, michael, some classwork with plenty of free time mixed in there. that's worked out, but what we have been trying to get a handle on are all the websites for both kiddos. the usernames and passwords, and you don't want to rely on a third grader to have his log-ins handy. but i really think today we're going to hit our stride because this guy here, pops, is joining the classroom. buttons are being pushed and kids are testing the limits. >> homework together. >> reporter: our "gma" viewers sending in videos like this. my son in need of some quiet time with a book in a fort he built, and my producer trying her own tactics working from home. >> what i have been doing for my family is using visual cues. everywhere, green means go. when it's green on the door, you can come in. i'm available to talk. when it's red, don't come in. i'm busy. please give me space, and it works for husbands too. >> reporter: even singer pink sharing her daily schedule on instagram, and the realities of

. >> stephanie ramos has tips on how to handle parenting while you're working and joins us by facebookis our new reality. i've got two kiddos. they go to two different schools. they're in third grade and preschool, and their teachers have been emailing us different websites to set up online classrooms. we're just trying to figure this thing out as much as schools are by working with the schedules, getting the kids set up and having them learn. >> reporter: home, it's the new office for millions of americans that are having to work remotely, and for many, with their kids out of school. >> they don't even have to go to their own districts or their own school. >> right now obviously this is an emergency situation. we're seeing millions of people working from home who otherwise aren't used to it and in many cases don't want to so the first thing that we really recommend is for people to keep an open mind. so we want to embrace this and realize that it is part of the common good. >> reporter: but how exactly does someone get their work done with distractions of partners, roommates, or kids?

stephanie ramos took a deep dive at the office looking at everything from door handles to elevators, he virus lingers and how it spreads. hey, stephanie. >> hey, there, george. doctors say some germs like the one that cause the common cold can live on surfaces from hours to even days. now, the everyday preventive measure we can take is washing our hands regularly. we've heard this but especially if you're coming into contact with germ hot spots which is likely happening more often than you think. as coronavirus fears spread across the country, many are wondering how to best avoid getting sick at work. we invited dr. sara mcdodd, they health and hospitals special pathogens program to our offices in new york city to learn about where germs may be lurking, and it starts with you. >> if your hands are dirty you're toughing your face. in a typical time perih ce 20 times in one hour. that's a lot. up to 500 times in day. >> reporter: and if your germy hands touch your eyes or mouth, you can set sick. watch this. in this "gma" business meeting, the worst offender touched his face 44 times in