Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus

President Trump on Friday declared a national state of emergency, giving the government additional powers and funds to slow the country's coronavirus outbreak and help businesses and Americans impacted by the deadly infection.

"We will overcome the threat of the virus," the president said, adding that the fight against the virus had entered "a different phase." 

Appearing in the Rose Garden, Trump said $50 billion will be allocated to combatting the spread of the virus and improving the abilities of citizens and doctors to access tele-health measures. 

The president's declaration also allows the administration to release emergency money to state and local governments through the Stafford Act, the federal law governing disaster-relief efforts.

The U.S. now has 1,714 confirmed cases, in 47 states, of the infectious disease. California, Washington State and New York are the states with the highest number of cases reported. 

Globally, the number of cases is 143,000, with a death toll of 5,374. China’s Hubei province, where the disease originated in late 2019, is reporting a decrease in the number of cases diagnosed per day. As of Thursday, the country was reporting fewer than 10 cases a day.