WASHINGTON, DC (WREX) — President Donald Trump is extending social distancing guidance for 30 days as scientists warn that the novel coronavirus will continue to spread.



The U.S. government's top infectious-disease expert says the country could see 100,000 to 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CNN on Sunday that millions could become infected in the United States.



It was a stark shift in tone by the president. Only days ago he mused about the country reopening in a few weeks. From the Rose Garden on Sunday, he said his Easter revival hopes had only been "aspirational."



The death toll in the U.S. stands at more than 2,400, with close to half of those fatalities in New York state. Worldwide, more than 33,000 people have died, half of them in Spain and Italy. Hospitals there are swamped.



New York state remained the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. But spikes in infections were recorded around the country, not only in metropolitan areas but in Midwestern towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens.