The number of cases of Corona virus growing quickly in this country, the urgent pleas for help from the front lines tonight and the U.

S surgeon general who declared today this week It's going to get bad.

We will carefully guide you through it all again tonight.

And the news that broke just before we came on the air tonight.

The governor of the state of Florida now asking passengers arriving flying in from New York and New Jersey to self quarantine for 14 days in the U.

S.

More than 42,000 people sick in more than 500 dead in the graft now showing how sharply those numbers air rising.

And by last count, it's been changing by the hour.

At least 17 states have now imposed those tight restrictions, closing businesses, telling people to work from home, essentially to shelter in place at home.

And look at this tonight, images of the empty streets across this country, now at a standstill, gripped by the seriousness of this virus.

New York, Chicago, New Orleans.

Among those images and empty terminal at the Detroit Metro Airport.

And tonight a major disaster now declared in three states.

New York, California and Washington state.

FEMA Constructing Temporary HOSPITALS This one at the Javits Convention Center here in New York and the Navy hospital ship Mercy left the port of San Diego on its way to Los Angeles.

A second ship, soon leaving for New York City testing still difficult to get the long lines.

And this is just one snapshot from Miami Gardens, Florida Tonight the wait for results could take days, and we took note of this tonight.

The line of cars And this is not a testing site, but a food pantry in Dayton, Ohio, the National Guard helping to distribute food, so many families suddenly out of work.

So tonight, what's being done to help them and that tweet from President Trump about the administration's 15 days of social distancing.

The tweet, saying we cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself at the end of the 15 day period.

So what was the president's suggesting?

NBC's chief national affairs correspondent, Tom Llamas, leading us off tonight.

Tonight, the battlefield in the war on the Corona virus, expanding New York's Javits Center, the city's convention facility now being turned into a hospital, hospital beds and ventilators being delivered.

The National Guard on site.

The goal here.

Tau house 1000 patients.

Governor Andrew Cuomo ordering all hospitals to increase capacity by 50%.

There are more than 20,000 people infected with Corona virus in New York.

This is going to get much worse before it gets better.

The Pentagon also reading 10 field hospitals capable of holding a total of 1550 beds.

At least two of them will arrive within 72 hours to Seattle and New York.

And the situation in New York worrying other states.

The governor of Florida taking a drastic measure, issuing an executive order mandating anyone flying in from New York or New Jersey to do a mandatory self isolation for 14 days.

Hopefully, that will be a deterrent for people.

If you're just simply trying to escape here to avoid the restrictions that have been put in place in your own state, that is probably not a good idea.

New York City, now the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.

S.

Cuomo announcing his state will move forward with trials for a new drug therapy the same one pushed by President Trump.

10,000 doses of the anti malaria drug hydroxy Cora Quinn, coupled with Zithromax, also known as a Z Pak, its effectiveness still unproven.

Hydroxy Clara Quinn and, uh, the Z Pak, I think is a combination probably is looking very, very good and it's gonna be distributed.

And treating those sick people is leading to a shortage of supplies.

In some cases, we're short on peopie that a lot of folks are short on around the country.

Masks face shields.

We're filling up our issues.

We have several floors now.

They're devoted only decoded positive patients.

The chief of surgery at Columbia University, warning in a memo to staff that the hospital is burning through 40,000 masks every day, went on a normal day.

They use 4000.

Cornelia Griggs is a mother of two.

She's a pediatric surgeon at that same hospital.

We're running into potentially crisis situations, having to make the split second decision.

Am I gonna run into this room to save this patient, or am I gonna take the time to try and scramble and find a mask?

Governor is calling on the federal government toe push manufacturers to make needed supplies, something the president said days ago he was prepared to do.

They legally have a tool called the Federal Defense Production Act.

Use it across the country, companies big and small, doing what they can to help.

There are medical council making here.

Coleman Knitting Mills Coleman Knitting Mills in Utah is taking fabric from cheerleading uniforms to make gowns and masks for a nursing home group in Washington state and testing for Corona virus still a problem in so many parts of the country.

In New Jersey, some drivers turned away from a new drive through testing facility before even open this morning in Miami.

Long lines at a new testing site at Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins play there, the National Guard was giving test two people 65 older, showing symptoms, Ah, growing number of states now ordering residents to stay home.

But overnight, the president, signaling he's getting impatient tweeting.

We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.

At the end of the 15 day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go late today, the president double down America will again and soon be open for business very soon.

A lot sooner than three or four months.

That somebody was suggesting President Trump just moments ago.

Tom Llamas with us live tonight from the Javits Center here in New York City and time I know New York is bracing for a very long fight.

It's gonna take at least a week for that field hospital to be up and running.

That's right, David.

A week to 10 days.

This is one of four facilities around the state that will deal with the overflow of patients.

Now David at first Visual House patients that don't have Cove in 19.

But if things get very dire, facilities just like this one could eventually house those patients.

And Tom while I have you.

The vice president also made news today when he acknowledged that he's asked governors to reach out to anesthesiologists about devices that could possibly be converted.

Would help with this shortage of ventilators in this country.

That's right, David.

It was an interesting headline.

The vice president did this at FEMA headquarters today in Washington, D.

C.

He basically called on the governor's to speak with her anesthesiologist in their states.

There's a device, he says, according to vice president.

They can convert toe a ventilator, and there's tens of thousands of them right now in the public.

David.

The urgent effort to get those supplies tonight.

Tom Thomas leading us off, Tom.

Thank you.

Hi, everyone.

George Stephanopoulos Here.

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