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Lyft Inc on Friday told drivers they could sign up for work driving deliveries under a new service as ride-hailing demand plummets during the rapid spread of coronavirus in the United States.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking at converting more than 10,000 New York rooms, potentially in hotels and college dorms, into medical care units to help address the fast-spreading coronavirus, the commanding general of the Army Corps said on Friday.

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has leapt by 627 to 4,032, officials said on Friday, an increase of 18.4% - by far the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the contagion emerged a month ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump is bringing back former economic adviser Kevin Hassett temporarily to help out during the coronavirus crisis, a White House official said on Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 15,268 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 4,777 cases from its previous count, and said the death toll had risen by 51 to 201.

Three U.S. states - California, New York and Illinois - have issued similar statewide "stay at home" orders directing more than 72 million residents to remain in their homes for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic. New Jersey and Connecticut are expected to follow suit.

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of a nationwide contagion, has risen by around 380 in a day to some 2,550, a source said on Friday.

After closing their stores earlier this week to limit the spread of the coronavirus, several retailers are dangling site-wide discounts and free shipping to entice people stuck at home to shop.

Alphabet Inc's Google on Friday canceled its annual developer conference, two weeks after calling off the in-person portion of the event due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Trump administration on Friday temporarily suspended interest and payments on federal student loans for at least the next 60 days, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department (DHS) said restrictions barring non-essential travel across the U.S.-Canadian land border will begin at 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday and last until April 20, according to a notice.

Belgium's newly formed federal government will provide 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) urgently to help hospitals face the coronavirus crisis as the situation in the coming days become "extremely intense" for healthcare services, it said on Friday.

China's imported coronavirus cases have risen to a record 228, data showed on Friday, as infected travellers spread to ever more provinces, adding pressure on authorities to toughen entry rules and health protocols.

A total of 177 patients have died in the United Kingdom after testing positive for coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday, up from 144 on Thursday.

Coronavirus can sicken or kill young people as well and they must also avoid mingling and spreading it to older and more vulnerable people, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

A reported sharp increase in pneumonia cases in the Russian capital and contradictory information around the issue is fuelling fears about the accuracy of official coronavirus data which remains much lower than many European countries.

Spanish authorities said on Friday they would turn a Madrid conference centre into a giant military hospital for coronavirus patients, as Europe's second-worst outbreak claimed another 235 lives and the government warned the worst days lay ahead.

Novartis will donate enough doses of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat several million patients in the fight against the coronavirus, if it wins approval, the Swiss company said on Friday.

Netflix Inc has established a $100 million fund to assist workers on film and television productions that have been shut down due to the global coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Friday.

Kraft Heinz speaks daily with Amazon.com and Walmart Inc , hoping to speed up deliveries as customers worldwide stay home and shop online to protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic, Kraft Heinz's CEO said on Friday.