The death toll in the United States from the global coronavirus pandemic officially passed 10,000 on Monday, according to the latest data, with more than 337,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases having been reported across the country.

The country’s death toll was nearing that of Italy and Spain, which have both faced the most deadly coronavirus outbreaks in the world, as health officials and state governors warned Americans to continue practising social distancing measures.

“You really need to keep your contact with others and surfaces to a minimal,” Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, told NBC’s Today Show. “If you need to get groceries, do it, but don’t go every day to the grocery store like many people do, do it as infrequently as possible.”

He added: “Anything you can do to protect yourself to avoid yourself from getting this virus and being in the hospital for a month or potentially facing death, I think it's advised to do that."

Dr Deborah Birx, a leading infectious disease expert who serves on the White House coronavirus response task force, also advised Americans against running daily errands during a weekend press briefing.

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“This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store and not be going to the pharmacy – but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe”, she said.

In New York, the state most impacted thus far by the global pandemic, officials said they saw a rise in the number of residents abandoning social distancing measures during the weekend.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday he was raising the fine for violations of state-mandated social distancing guidelines from $500 to $1,000.

“This is an enemy we have underestimated since day one,” the governor wrote in a tweet. “This is not the time to be lax.”