U.S. Could Become Virus Epicentre: WHO

Trump downplays pandemic, says he wants to reopen the economy by Easter; U.K. enforces lockdown

The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday that the U.S. could become the global epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Britain joined the ranks of countries in lockdown to try to hold back the virus, and data showed business activity collapsing from Australia and Japan and Western Europe at a record pace in March, with the U.S. showing expected to be just as dire.

Around 3,77,000 infections have been reported across 194 countries and territories as of early Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, more than 16,500 of them fatal.

‘Very large acceleration’

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said there had been a “very large acceleration” in infections in the U.S.