After that feisty White House briefing performance from the president, we’re pausing our live page coverage for the time being.
If you’ve been following our updates, thanks for joining us.
We’ll be back on Tuesday morning, bringing you all the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic
from the UK and across the world.
To recap, here are some of the day’s key developments:
President Donald Trump lashed out at media coverage of his administration's handling of the coronavirus emergency arguing with reporters
He insisted his administration has the power to decide when governors should start lifting lockdowns, though legal experts say the authority actually rests with the states
Oil prices steadied after a deal to slash output by 10%
More than 20,000 people have now died with the virus in
Italy, but its infection rate continues to slow
Our live page team today was brought to you by writers and editors working from Singapore, London and Washington DC, with input from correspondents based around the world.
Thanks to Saira Asher, Andreas Illmer, Vicky Bisset, Joel Gunter, Adrian Dalingwater, Josh Nevett, Thom Poole, Gary Rose, Ben Collins, Max Matza, Ritu Prasad, Jennifer Scott, Lucy Webster, Neil Johnston, Justin Parkinson, Henri Astier and Jude Sheerin.
Fastest cross country US drive record broken
The fastest crossing of the US by car has reportedly been broken by drivers who took advantage of regional lockdowns to break the so-called Cannonball record.
A team of three unnamed drivers made the cross-country trek in 26 hours and 38 minutes, according to previous record holders.
They drove a family-sized white 2019 Audi A8 L sedan at an average speed of over 100mph (160km/h) for nearly 3,000 miles.
The drive was made famous by the 1981 Burt Reynolds movie Cannonball Run. It goes from the Red Ball garage on East 31st St in New York City to The Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California.
Trump calls WTO and WHO 'Bobbsey Twins'
Trump has attacked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) calling the international agencies the "Bobbsey Twins".
The children's book series, written by Laura Lee Hope, tells the story of "two sets of twins as they go on wild adventures and solve intriguing mysteries," according to publisher Penguin Random House.
So, to be clear, there are four people that make up the Bobbsey Twins.
Asked about cutting WHO funding, as he said last week he was considering, he says: "I would say by the end of the week I'm going to make a decision on that."
The world’s shortest woman – Jyoti Amge - has assisted Indian police in their attempts to enforce the nationwide lockdown.
Standing at just 62.8cm (24.7in) tall, Amge joined police to
deliver a simple message: stay at home.
Holding a microphone almost half her size, and standing on
top of a police jeep, she made appearances across Nagpur city, in state of
Maharashtra.
She encouraged anybody having to venture out for essentials
to wash their hands and wear masks and gloves.
“Our police officers, healthcare workers, military officers
are on the front line battling the virus and saving lives, and I wanted to
contribute in my own way, however small,” she told AFP news agency.
Amge, 26, has a condition called achondroplasia, a form of
dwarfism, and is not expected to grow further.
Trump: 'States cannot re-open without my approval'
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Trump claims "numerous provisions" of the US constitution give him the power to force states to re-open for business.
"The president of the United States calls the shots," he says, telling reporters that a legal brief outlining his argument will be released soon.
"It's a decision for the president of the United States. That said we're going to work with the states because it's very important."
Trump adds that "they can't do anything without the approval of the president of the United States".
Trump's claim flies the face of state governors, who argue that only they have the authority to lift the lockdowns that they imposed. Federal guidelines issued by Trump are only advisory, not compulsory.
Trump's virus response: dysfunctional or decisive?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
President Trump has mounted a vigorous defence of his
administration’s coronavirus mitigation strategy, arguing he took swift action to stop the spread of the disease in the US.
The wearing of masks has become one of the defining images –
and debates – of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some argue we should we all be wearing face masks to protect
ourselves from the virus and to reduce the risk of asymptomatic carriers passing on the infection. Others argue they are ineffective when used improperly
and should be reserved for medical workers only.
Guidance differs from country to country but, as it stands,
the World Health Organization (WHO) advises against widespread face mask usage
by the general public.
The WHO says only two groups of people should wear protective masks,
those who are:
sick
and showing symptoms
caring
for people suspected to have the coronavirus
Trump says his administration will "soon finalise new and very important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states".
The president last week had announced the formation of a new "opening our country" council.
He says the White House guidance would come "over a short number of days".
Trump says the plan will "give the American people the confidence they need to begin returning to normal life".
"Our country is going to be open."
Trump: 'Three millions tests done'
President Donald Trump says that three millions tests for coronavirus have been done in the US.
The US has been ramping up its testing after a slow start when its public health agency developed its own test, which turned out to be defective.
"We're performing approximately 115,000 tests a day," says Trump.
Experts around the world say life will not be able to get back to normal until mass testing is available for large percentages of the population.
Trump: 'Everything we did was right'
Trump continues to defend his handling of the pandemic, emphasising: "Everything we did was right."
He singled out for criticism the New York Times, which at the weekend published an investigation suggesting the president's response to the crisis was hampered by internal divisions, lack of planning and his faith in his own instincts.
The president again shifted some of the blame on equipment shortages to governors of the nation's 50 states.
In recent weeks, several state leaders have expressed frustrations with the bidding war between other states and the federal government to obtain supplies in the private market.
"Governors should have had ventilators, they chose not to have them," Trump says. "We were able to get them. They got the ventilators."
"The surge is supposed to be coming now and if they do need ventilators we’ve got almost 10,000 that are ready to rock."
Trump 'getting along well with governors'
"I'm getting along very well with the governors," says Trump, adding that Vice-President Mike Pence had a call today with governors which was a "10".
"He said it was like a 10. He used one of my expressions actually," says Trump, who previously ranked his coronavirus handling a "10 out of 10".
Trump and state governors have been disputing who has responsibility for lifting lockdowns, and effectively re-opening the US economy.
But despite Trump claiming the power, constitutional scholars say the the authority to lift state lockdown orders actually rests with the governors who first imposed them.
Trump criticises Biden and media
President Trump lambasts what he calls “fake news” coverage
of his attempts to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the US.
Trump touts his China travel restrictions, arguing that,
actually, he acted fast on the virus.
He pointed out the campaign of Joe Biden, the presumptive presidential candidate for
the Democrats, had called him xenophobic after he issued a travel ban on China early in the coronavirus crisis.
Biden's campaign this month said the former vice-president supports the Trump administration's decision to impose a China travel ban.
Trump runs de facto campaign ad in virus briefing
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The White House coronavirus taskforce has dimmed the lights in the press briefing room and has shown a de facto campaign video which praises Trump's handling of the crisis.
The several-minute long video shows clips of news reports in an effort to combat recent reporting by US media that shows Trump delayed responding to the crisis for nearly six weeks.
One New York Times reporter who was quoted in the video has already responded on Twitter to say her quote was taken out of context.
Trump later says the video was produced by White House staff, and not his campaign.
Dr Fauci is the US infectious diseases chiefImage caption: Dr Fauci is the US infectious diseases chief
Top US disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci says he did not choose his words carefully when he said in an interview on Sunday that earlier mitigation efforts could have saved American lives.
His answer led to speculation, fuelled by Trump, that he would be fired.
"I had an interview yesterday that I was asked a hypothetical question and hypothetical questions can sometimes get you into difficulty," Fauci says in today's briefing.
He called his answer a "poor choice of words".
He adds: "I just thought it would be nice for me to clarify, because I didn’t have a chance to clarify...The first and only time that I went in and said we should do mitigation strongly, the response [from Trump] was, ‘yes, we’ll do it.’”
When asked if he was forced by Trump to issue this clarification, he responds: "Everything I do is voluntary, don't even imply that."
Top doctor confirms outbreak slowing
Dr Anthony Fauci, US infectious disease chief, confirmed the president's remarks that it appears the Covid-19 outbreak is slowing down, "even though we've had a really bad week last week".
"We're starting to see in some areas the kind of flattening - particularly in a place that was a hotspot like New York," he says.
Trump: 'Infection rate is slowing'
Trump begins by saying the "number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide" in the past few days.
"Hospitalisations are slowing in hot spots like New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Louisiana," he adds, saying this is due to Americans "following the guidelines".
"You looked at the charts, the models from early on, predictions were 100,000 [or],120,00 people," says Trump.
"We’re going to hopefully be way, way below that number," he says, calling this "clear evidence that our aggressive strategy is working".
White House briefing begins
US President Donald Trump has taken the stage and the White House coronavirus taskforce is now beginning.
What does 2m look like?
The UK
government is advising people to stay home and only go out if they need to
fetch food or medicine, to go to work if it's essential or to exercise.
Even when you leave your home, you
need to practise social distancing and keep at least 2m (6ft) away from other
people to protect yourself from catching coronavirus. But what does it actually
look like? The BBC's Laura Foster demonstrates.
Video content
Video caption: Coronavirus social distancing advice: What two metres looks likeCoronavirus social distancing advice: What two metres looks like
Migrant rescue ship's atmosphere 'extremely dire'
Joshua Nevett
Journalist, BBC News website
On Sunday we reported that about 150 migrants on board a German rescue ship sailing in the Mediterranean were to be transferred to another vessel and quarantined by Italy.
Italian authorities said the migrants, who were rescued off the Libyan coast last week, would undergo medical checks.
The Alan Kurdi ship, operated by the German humanitarian group Sea-Eye, has been refused access to Italian and Maltese ports over coronavirus fears.
On Monday afternoon, a spokesman for Sea-Eye, Simon Pompé, told the BBC the group did not know when the migrants would be moved but “would be grateful for this humanitarian act”.
Pompé said the German Foreign Ministry, which has been involved in assisting the ship, had yet to approve any decision to move the migrants.
He said the remaining migrants were “struggling” to cope in conditions he described as cramped and unsanitary.
“The atmosphere on board is extremely dire,” Pompé said, calling on the EU to help Italy and Malta relocate the migrants.
None of the migrants on board the Alan Kurdi had shown any symptoms of coronavirus, Pompé said.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast last week by crew of the Alan KurdiImage caption: The migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast last week by crew of the Alan Kurdi
US states form groups to decide how to re-open
Two groups of US state governors have announced that they have formed partnerships to determine how to lift stay-at-home orders and effectively re-open large sections of the US economy.
On the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced what they are calling the Western States Pact.
Meanwhile on the East Coast, the governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Delaware have also vowed to co-ordinate lifting their lockdowns.
President Donald Trump has said he will decide what happens next.
"A decision by me, in conjunction with the governors and input from others, will be made shortly!" he tweeted on Monday.
States have pointed out that Trump's federal guidelines were only advisory, and that the decision is theirs alone.
Live Reporting
Jude Sheerin
All times stated are UK
-
President Donald Trump lashed out at media coverage of his administration's handling of the coronavirus emergency arguing with reporters
-
He insisted his administration has the power to decide when governors should start lifting lockdowns, though legal experts say the authority actually rests with the states
-
New York state's death toll passed 10,000, but Governor Andrew Cuomo said hospital admissions appear to be levelling off
-
French President Emmanuel Macron extended the country's
lockdown measures until 11 May
- UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said the country’s outbreak was “still not past the peak", but hailed "positive signs" in the data
-
Oil prices steadied after a deal to slash output by 10%
-
More than 20,000 people have now died with the virus in
Italy, but its infection rate continues to slow

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued faulty tests to state laboratories,
delaying efforts to contain the spread of the virus
-
Doctors and hospitals across the country complained of
medical supply shortages
-
Messaging has been inconsistent, with President Trump issuing
different advice to his top health officials
-
The US Congress passed a $2tn (£1.5tn) coronavirus relief bill,
helping hard-up Americans endure the pandemic
-
US pharmaceutical and medical companies have been leading research
on drug treatments and a vaccine
-
Most state leaders have taken decisive action to tackle the
coronavirus, highlighting the benefits of the US’s federal system

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images -
sick
and showing symptoms
-
caring
for people suspected to have the coronavirus

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images View more on twitterView more on twitter 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Dr Fauci is the US infectious diseases chiefImage caption: Dr Fauci is the US infectious diseases chief Video caption: Coronavirus social distancing advice: What two metres looks likeCoronavirus social distancing advice: What two metres looks like 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast last week by crew of the Alan KurdiImage caption: The migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast last week by crew of the Alan Kurdi
Latest PostGoodbye for now
After that feisty White House briefing performance from the president, we’re pausing our live page coverage for the time being.
If you’ve been following our updates, thanks for joining us.
We’ll be back on Tuesday morning, bringing you all the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic from the UK and across the world.
To recap, here are some of the day’s key developments:
Our live page team today was brought to you by writers and editors working from Singapore, London and Washington DC, with input from correspondents based around the world.
Thanks to Saira Asher, Andreas Illmer, Vicky Bisset, Joel Gunter, Adrian Dalingwater, Josh Nevett, Thom Poole, Gary Rose, Ben Collins, Max Matza, Ritu Prasad, Jennifer Scott, Lucy Webster, Neil Johnston, Justin Parkinson, Henri Astier and Jude Sheerin.
Fastest cross country US drive record broken
The fastest crossing of the US by car has reportedly been broken by drivers who took advantage of regional lockdowns to break the so-called Cannonball record.
A team of three unnamed drivers made the cross-country trek in 26 hours and 38 minutes, according to previous record holders.
They drove a family-sized white 2019 Audi A8 L sedan at an average speed of over 100mph (160km/h) for nearly 3,000 miles.
The drive was made famous by the 1981 Burt Reynolds movie Cannonball Run. It goes from the Red Ball garage on East 31st St in New York City to The Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California.
Trump calls WTO and WHO 'Bobbsey Twins'
Trump has attacked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) calling the international agencies the "Bobbsey Twins".
The children's book series, written by Laura Lee Hope, tells the story of "two sets of twins as they go on wild adventures and solve intriguing mysteries," according to publisher Penguin Random House.
So, to be clear, there are four people that make up the Bobbsey Twins.
Asked about cutting WHO funding, as he said last week he was considering, he says: "I would say by the end of the week I'm going to make a decision on that."
World’s shortest woman helps India’s lockdown effort
The world’s shortest woman – Jyoti Amge - has assisted Indian police in their attempts to enforce the nationwide lockdown.
Standing at just 62.8cm (24.7in) tall, Amge joined police to deliver a simple message: stay at home.
Holding a microphone almost half her size, and standing on top of a police jeep, she made appearances across Nagpur city, in state of Maharashtra.
She encouraged anybody having to venture out for essentials to wash their hands and wear masks and gloves.
“Our police officers, healthcare workers, military officers are on the front line battling the virus and saving lives, and I wanted to contribute in my own way, however small,” she told AFP news agency.
Amge, 26, has a condition called achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and is not expected to grow further.
An actress who has worked in India and the US, Amge was named shortest living woman by Guinness World Records in 2011.
Trump: 'States cannot re-open without my approval'
Trump claims "numerous provisions" of the US constitution give him the power to force states to re-open for business.
"The president of the United States calls the shots," he says, telling reporters that a legal brief outlining his argument will be released soon.
"It's a decision for the president of the United States. That said we're going to work with the states because it's very important."
Trump adds that "they can't do anything without the approval of the president of the United States".
Trump's claim flies the face of state governors, who argue that only they have the authority to lift the lockdowns that they imposed. Federal guidelines issued by Trump are only advisory, not compulsory.
Trump's virus response: dysfunctional or decisive?
President Trump has mounted a vigorous defence of his administration’s coronavirus mitigation strategy, arguing he took swift action to stop the spread of the disease in the US.
Currently, there are more than 577,000 cases and 23,000 deaths from the coronavirus epidemic in the US, by far the highest number on both counts so far.
So, what has the US government done right, and what has it done wrong?
Mistakes include:
Successes include:
You can read more analysis on this by Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter.
Should we all be wearing face masks?
The wearing of masks has become one of the defining images – and debates – of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some argue we should we all be wearing face masks to protect ourselves from the virus and to reduce the risk of asymptomatic carriers passing on the infection. Others argue they are ineffective when used improperly and should be reserved for medical workers only.
Guidance differs from country to country but, as it stands, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises against widespread face mask usage by the general public.
The WHO says only two groups of people should wear protective masks, those who are:
Read more: Who needs masks or other protective gear?
Trump says plan to re-open US coming soon
Trump says his administration will "soon finalise new and very important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states".
The president last week had announced the formation of a new "opening our country" council.
He says the White House guidance would come "over a short number of days".
Trump says the plan will "give the American people the confidence they need to begin returning to normal life".
"Our country is going to be open."
Trump: 'Three millions tests done'
President Donald Trump says that three millions tests for coronavirus have been done in the US.
The US has been ramping up its testing after a slow start when its public health agency developed its own test, which turned out to be defective.
"We're performing approximately 115,000 tests a day," says Trump.
Experts around the world say life will not be able to get back to normal until mass testing is available for large percentages of the population.
Trump: 'Everything we did was right'
Trump continues to defend his handling of the pandemic, emphasising: "Everything we did was right."
He singled out for criticism the New York Times, which at the weekend published an investigation suggesting the president's response to the crisis was hampered by internal divisions, lack of planning and his faith in his own instincts.
The president again shifted some of the blame on equipment shortages to governors of the nation's 50 states.
In recent weeks, several state leaders have expressed frustrations with the bidding war between other states and the federal government to obtain supplies in the private market.
"Governors should have had ventilators, they chose not to have them," Trump says. "We were able to get them. They got the ventilators."
"The surge is supposed to be coming now and if they do need ventilators we’ve got almost 10,000 that are ready to rock."
Trump 'getting along well with governors'
"I'm getting along very well with the governors," says Trump, adding that Vice-President Mike Pence had a call today with governors which was a "10".
"He said it was like a 10. He used one of my expressions actually," says Trump, who previously ranked his coronavirus handling a "10 out of 10".
Trump and state governors have been disputing who has responsibility for lifting lockdowns, and effectively re-opening the US economy.
But despite Trump claiming the power, constitutional scholars say the the authority to lift state lockdown orders actually rests with the governors who first imposed them.
Trump criticises Biden and media
President Trump lambasts what he calls “fake news” coverage of his attempts to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the US.
Trump touts his China travel restrictions, arguing that, actually, he acted fast on the virus.
He pointed out the campaign of Joe Biden, the presumptive presidential candidate for the Democrats, had called him xenophobic after he issued a travel ban on China early in the coronavirus crisis.
Biden's campaign this month said the former vice-president supports the Trump administration's decision to impose a China travel ban.
Trump runs de facto campaign ad in virus briefing
The White House coronavirus taskforce has dimmed the lights in the press briefing room and has shown a de facto campaign video which praises Trump's handling of the crisis.
The several-minute long video shows clips of news reports in an effort to combat recent reporting by US media that shows Trump delayed responding to the crisis for nearly six weeks.
One New York Times reporter who was quoted in the video has already responded on Twitter to say her quote was taken out of context.
Trump later says the video was produced by White House staff, and not his campaign.
Fauci clarifies 'poor choice of words'
Top US disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci says he did not choose his words carefully when he said in an interview on Sunday that earlier mitigation efforts could have saved American lives.
His answer led to speculation, fuelled by Trump, that he would be fired.
"I had an interview yesterday that I was asked a hypothetical question and hypothetical questions can sometimes get you into difficulty," Fauci says in today's briefing.
He called his answer a "poor choice of words".
He adds: "I just thought it would be nice for me to clarify, because I didn’t have a chance to clarify...The first and only time that I went in and said we should do mitigation strongly, the response [from Trump] was, ‘yes, we’ll do it.’”
When asked if he was forced by Trump to issue this clarification, he responds: "Everything I do is voluntary, don't even imply that."
Top doctor confirms outbreak slowing
Dr Anthony Fauci, US infectious disease chief, confirmed the president's remarks that it appears the Covid-19 outbreak is slowing down, "even though we've had a really bad week last week".
"We're starting to see in some areas the kind of flattening - particularly in a place that was a hotspot like New York," he says.
Trump: 'Infection rate is slowing'
Trump begins by saying the "number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide" in the past few days.
"Hospitalisations are slowing in hot spots like New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Louisiana," he adds, saying this is due to Americans "following the guidelines".
"You looked at the charts, the models from early on, predictions were 100,000 [or],120,00 people," says Trump.
"We’re going to hopefully be way, way below that number," he says, calling this "clear evidence that our aggressive strategy is working".
White House briefing begins
US President Donald Trump has taken the stage and the White House coronavirus taskforce is now beginning.
What does 2m look like?
The UK government is advising people to stay home and only go out if they need to fetch food or medicine, to go to work if it's essential or to exercise.
Even when you leave your home, you need to practise social distancing and keep at least 2m (6ft) away from other people to protect yourself from catching coronavirus. But what does it actually look like? The BBC's Laura Foster demonstrates.
Video content
Migrant rescue ship's atmosphere 'extremely dire'
Joshua Nevett
Journalist, BBC News website
On Sunday we reported that about 150 migrants on board a German rescue ship sailing in the Mediterranean were to be transferred to another vessel and quarantined by Italy.
Italian authorities said the migrants, who were rescued off the Libyan coast last week, would undergo medical checks.
The Alan Kurdi ship, operated by the German humanitarian group Sea-Eye, has been refused access to Italian and Maltese ports over coronavirus fears.
Read more:Italy orders rescued migrants onto quarantine ship
On Monday afternoon, a spokesman for Sea-Eye, Simon Pompé, told the BBC the group did not know when the migrants would be moved but “would be grateful for this humanitarian act”.
Pompé said the German Foreign Ministry, which has been involved in assisting the ship, had yet to approve any decision to move the migrants.
He said the remaining migrants were “struggling” to cope in conditions he described as cramped and unsanitary.
“The atmosphere on board is extremely dire,” Pompé said, calling on the EU to help Italy and Malta relocate the migrants.
None of the migrants on board the Alan Kurdi had shown any symptoms of coronavirus, Pompé said.
US states form groups to decide how to re-open
Two groups of US state governors have announced that they have formed partnerships to determine how to lift stay-at-home orders and effectively re-open large sections of the US economy.
On the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced what they are calling the Western States Pact.
Meanwhile on the East Coast, the governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Delaware have also vowed to co-ordinate lifting their lockdowns.
President Donald Trump has said he will decide what happens next.
"A decision by me, in conjunction with the governors and input from others, will be made shortly!" he tweeted on Monday.
States have pointed out that Trump's federal guidelines were only advisory, and that the decision is theirs alone.