The fast-spreading new coronavirus that jumped from animals to humans has now infected over 200,000 people around the world. It also is blamed for more than 8,700 deaths.
快速传播的新冠病毒在全球范围内已经感染了超过20万人，这种病毒是从动物传染到人类。它还造成了超过8700人死亡。
President Donald Trump said he would use an existing U.S. law to give the government additional powers to fight the disease and to ease economic trouble. The Defense Production Act gives the president extraordinary power to order industries to expand production and provide necessary materials.
川普总统表示，他将利用美国现行法律赋予政府的额外权力来抗击这种疾病并缓解经济困难。《国防生产法》赋予了总统特别权力可以下令扩大工业生产并提供必须的材料。
The Trump administration is working with Congress to pass a $1 trillion spending plan to support the economy. Among the proposals is $500 billion in direct payment to Americans.
川普政府正同国会合作通过一项1万亿美元的开支计划以支持经济。在这些提案中，将有5千亿美元被直接发放给美国人。
U.S. financial markets had sharp losses Wednesday. The New York Stock Exchange again temporarily halted trading because of a sharp drop in stock prices. It opened again and stock measures regained some of their lost value. Observers note that the stock market has lost nearly all of its gains from the past three years.
美国金融市场周三大幅下跌。由于股价大跌，纽约证券交易所再次暂停交易(熔断)。随后它重新开放，各项股票指数有所回升。观察人士指出，股市已经跌掉了近三年的全部涨幅。
Oil prices have fallen sharply in recent days to their lowest level in years.
最近几天，石油价格已经急剧下降到多年来的最低水平。
Also Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that the three major American car makers, Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, are planning to close all factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The move could keep 150,000 people from work.
同样是在周三，美联社报道称，美国三大汽车制造商福特、通用和菲亚特克莱斯勒都计划关闭在美国、加拿大和墨西哥的所有工厂。此举可能会使15万人无法上班。
In the state of California, Governor Gavin Newsom warned that, in his words, "martial law" could be put into effect. In the city of San Francisco, people are permitted to leave their homes only for food, medicine or exercise. And the mayor of New York said the city's 8.6 million residents should be prepared for a lockdown.
加州州长加文·纽瑟姆警告说可能会实施戒严令。旧金山市只允许人们出门购买食物、药品或运动。纽约市长表示，该市860万市民要为封锁做好准备。
Around the world
世界各地情况
In Italy, the number of people who died from COVID-19 moved closer to China's. With another 475 reported deaths on Wednesday, the country has now linked more than 2,900 deaths to the disease. China has reported about 3,200 deaths. Iran also has been hit hard, with more than 17,000 cases and 1,100 deaths.
意大利新冠肺炎的死亡人数已经逼近中国。周三该国又报告了475例死亡，目前已经有超过2900例死于这种疾病。中国报告了3200起死亡病例。伊朗也受到了重创，有1.7万人确诊并有1100人死亡。
At many border crossings around Europe, cars and trucks are backed up after leaders closed them to nonessential traffic. At one point, trucks were backed up in Austria for 28 kilometers and cars for 14 kilometers.
在欧洲各地的许多边境口岸，在各国领导人关闭了不必要的交通后，汽车和卡车堵成一团。在奥地利的一处口岸，卡车拥堵了28公里，汽车拥堵了14公里。
"We have never lived through anything like this," Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a nearly empty parliament room. More than 90 percent of Spanish lawmakers stayed home.
西班牙总理佩德罗·桑切斯对着近乎空荡荡的会议室发表了讲话：“我们从未经历过这样的事情。”西班牙90%以上的议员留在了家里。
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that the crisis could last six months. He said "This is a once-in-a-hundred-year type event" as his country moved to restrict gatherings and overseas travel.
澳大利亚总理斯科特·莫里森警告说，这场危机可能会持续六个月时间。澳大利亚开始限制聚会和海外旅行，他称“这是百年难遇的大事件”。
In Southeast Asia, the border between Malaysia and the city-state of Singapore was quiet after Malaysia shut its borders.
在东南亚，马来西亚关闭边境之后，马来西亚和新加坡之间的边境静悄悄的。
On Ecuador's Galapagos islands, Canadian Jessy Lamontaine and her family could not leave when their flights were suspended. "I was in tears this morning," Lamontaine said. "I couldn't get any answers from the airline. I had no money and didn't know whether I was going to keep my job."
在厄瓜多尔的加拉帕戈斯群岛，加拿大人杰西·拉蒙丹和她的家人在航班暂停后无法离开这里。拉蒙丹表示：“今早我哭了，航空公司没有任何答复。我钱花光了，也不知道我还能不能保住我的工作。”
Some good news did come out of Wuhan. Officials there reported just one new case for a second day.
武汉确实传来了一些好消息。当地官员连续两天只报告了一起新增病例。