Today.

After repeatedly downplaying the gravity of the Corona virus pandemic, President Trump declared a national emergency.

The action I am taking will open up access to up to $50 billion part of the administration's response to combat the rapidly spreading virus, a newly formed public private partnership with several iconic American brands.

With the aim of accelerating testing, we'll have the ability to do in the millions over a very, very quickly.

ABC News contributor Dr Simone Weil's is an expert in infectious diseases.

Doctor.

What's your biggest takeaway from the president's press conference that we are going to get testing down, which everyone is thrilled about because we were all asking for that?

So is it too late, too little or still in time?

I think we're still in time.

We probably would have likes it a little sooner.

For weeks, a surging demand for testing presented an overwhelming challenge for health officials.

US.

Lagging far behind other countries in total patients tested Yesterday, the nation's top infectious specialist, Dr Anthony Fauci, had this striking admission.

It is a failing, Let's admit it.

But today, with the president's proposals, Douchey believes the equation can be changed.

You have to embrace the private sector, and this is exactly what you're seeing, because she can't do it without it.

Under the new partnership announced that the White House private companies like Roche, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostic will develop and launch the capacity to conduct a covert 19 tests also involved in the growing test field.

The Mayo Clinic announced that they've developed what they described as a fairly rapid test that can detect the virus that causes Cove it 19.

Our tests uses samples collected through swabs that are taken from the nose and mouth from their.

Our laboratory can amplify the fires itself, so we're not looking for evidence of the body's reaction to it, but rather were trying to detect the virus itself.

We talked to doctors around the country whose testing experiences have run again.

I have done zero tests in my office, Four Cove in 19.

We don't feel like we have enough tests.

I don't think anybody feels like they have enough tests right now.

We just launched yesterday, so it's a new experience for us, and testing is going well outside of New York City in the nation's first containment zone.

Drive through testing residents braving the rain to get some answers, you do a swab in the nose, hauled a nasal torrential swap and also in the mouth called or referential swab.

Then we collect that in a specimen container.

We send it off to the lab and did was special tests called a PCR test and sent us back the results.

And how long would that take?

Right now, based on what the state was doing, it was about 48 hours on Wall Street.

The president's proposals were met with approval.

Market closed with the biggest one day gain in stock market history just one day after the biggest one day drop in history.

We don't see declines of 28% in the span of one month.

For the most part, this has been a historically dramatic week and a historically dramatic month for stocks.

Whether we see that level of extreme volatility, going forward is still up in the air.

As the president and the Treasury secretary said today, we're in inning two of this crisis.

The white House announcement coming as bleak news continues from Europe, Covert 19 has overwhelmed the continent.

Europe has now become the epicenter off the pandemic, with more reported cases and Dez than the rest off the world combined, apart from China, hardest hit Italy in 24 hours alone.

More than 2500 new infections to written 50 virus lated deaths reported.

The total number of infections there has climbed to nearly 18,000 with 1266 virus late IT deaths.

What makes this one so dangerous?

It's very contagious.

Hence, we are trying t o minimize contact so that we don't get a lot of people infected at the same time.

So it potentially is deadlier than the flu.

But as contagious as the flu, it is deadlier than the flu and also more contagious than the flu.

On Wednesday, the president announced, the U.

S.

Will suspend all travel from Europe, excluding the United Kingdom, citizens, permanent residents and our families.

Any of the families returning from Europe will be subject to extra screening as well, a self isolation for a period of 14 days.

That band took effective midnight with the jump in covert 19 cases today, the president hinted the U K could be added to the list.

Well, that was recommended to me by a group of professionals, and we're looking at it based on the new numbers that are coming out, and we may have to include them in the list of countries that we will.

You could say Ban or whatever it is during this period of time today.

A mad scramble at European airports, with American travelers rushing to get home before the band takes effect.

I was supposed to come back in June and I came back like today and said one family paying nearly $8000 for 31 way flights from Paris to New York.

I feel like they were putting a price tag on people's safety, and that's scary, especially people who can't afford it.

A lot of people were in tears.

Good afternoon from the red zone, which is the whole country in Italy Way are in lock down.

Jason Rupp, who travels the world making videos about his journey, is currently quarantined with his mother in Italy.

Mama, say hide everybody, everybody rough And his mother arrived in Sicily a day before the country went into a nationwide locked down.

It's pretty amazing, really, to ourselves.

Imagine having these beautiful cobblestone streets and sidewalks, thes statues, the amazing architecture all to yourself, but not in a good way.

Nobody's happy.

You don't see smiles on the street here, Rupp says.

They're holding making short trips for groceries.

Way found almond milk.

Restaurants are closed, Bar's air closed.

There's very little traffic that said, I still see people walking their dogs.

I see people riding bicycles around.

I see motorcycles delivering food.

Life goes on here.

I even see people sitting in the park sometimes in the daytime.

However, once it becomes nighttime, everything is shot.

Nothing is open at all.

With limited options in Europe, Rupp says, finding a ticket home is becoming increasingly difficult.

I'm not sure where to go and what to dio, since now we can't fly back to us easy.

Despite the challenges, Rupp says he has no choice but to remain hopeful.

We're not six yet.

We're very healthy and we're gonna stay that way.

We are, we're survivors.

We're New Yorkers.

We're gonna get through this with medical experts still pushing basic hygiene, hand washing and social distancing as the best prevention.

That didn't stop Trump from repeatedly shaking hands and the president at first doubling down on the decision not to be tested for Corona virus.

Are you planning to take any kindof precautionary measure to protect you and also your staff?

Was there no way have no symptoms whatsoever but after being pressed Trump indicating he may get tested eventually.

But I haven't even if you don't have symptoms.

Are you being selfish by not getting tested?

And potentially, I didn't say I wasn't going to be tested.

Are you going to be most likely?

Mostly not for that reason, but because I think I will do it anyway.

There are pictures and videos of the president in direct contact with someone who has tested positive for Corona virus.

Now, the CDC says, if you've had close contact, you should get tested.

Present says he doesn't really need to because he feels fine.

Another proposal from the president waving interest on student loans.

More cancellations announced across the country today.

46,000 schools and 26 million students being let out of classes early.

13 states have shut doors completely here in Mount Vernon NEW YORK, Deborah Stern is preparing students for a new, normal social distancing.

It is very weird, but one of the things you do every morning, Mr Scott in myself, is we stand at the door, we shake hands, everybody.

And if this month is cool, too now, I don't do that anymore.

For students, the biggest challenge is keeping their distance from friends in school.

We can't touch anybody.

Like if we wanna, like, how go anything, we'll high five.

We can't.

We have to do this when, like, I see my best Red and I try to help him then.

But I can't because I like.

I stopped myself because, you know I don't catch terms.

I feel like it's very tempting.

How can I help her today?

Yeah, I went in for a hug, and then you care, because I realized that something serious is going on.

Yet at this school, where many of the students qualify for reduced or free meals, there's more at stake.

The public school becomes the the, um, really the central sort of social service agency for everything we do a lot more than schooling.

But then that gets magnified minute issue in mist.

Of all the turmoil, there was some good news.

Encouraging numbers from China indicate a possible slowdown in the spread of the virus.

In the original epicenter, Wuhan, the city recorded only five new cases, and who Bay Province outside of Wuhan, has had zero cases in eight days.

Is it your expectation that it's gonna get worse before it gets better?

I think with more testing, I anticipate that we are going to hear about a lot more cases, and so it might get worse before it gets better.

But I think we're going to be totally on top of it and working with everyone closely so that we can get a pretty good grasp off what's going on.

You hope that are, you know that we know that.

Hi, everyone.

George Stephanopoulos here.

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