All 50 states are simultaneously under a disaster declaration for the first time in history after President Donald Trump approved a declaration for Wyoming, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said Saturday.

The news came as the U.S. surpassed Italy for the most coronavirus fatalities and the total U.S. death count topped 20,000 on Saturday.

The Internal Revenue Service announced Saturday night that the first wave of stimulus checks had been deposited into Americans' bank accounts. "We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue issuing them as fast as we can," the IRS said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, in an effort to keep the virus from spreading further, some states are taking extra measures to prevent large Easter celebrations on Sunday.

Worldwide, there are more than 1.7 million cases and at least 108,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 400,000 people have recovered worldwide.

Our live blog is being updated throughout the day. Refresh for the latest news, and get updates in your inbox with The Daily Briefing. More headlines:

• Your guide for COVID-19: What you need to know about safety, health and travel.

• Easter services guide: Joel Osteen's star-studded service, opera performance, Pope Francis mass

• Not everyone will get the $1,200 stimulus checks. See this list of who is left out.

•'Can't expect nurses to be miracle workers': Nurses reach their breaking point

• Trump's support of hydroxychloroquine could slow the race for a cure.

US has most deaths worldwide

The United States surpassed Italy on Saturday to become the country with the most coronavirus deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University dashboard.

The U.S. death toll early Saturday increased to 19,701 Saturday afternoon, while Italy had 19,468 and Spain had 16,353. While close to taking the lead in number of fatalities, virus deaths in relation to the total population remains at about one-sixth of those in hard-hit Italy or Spain.

Worldwide, the death count stood at more than 104,000 out of more than 1.7 million cases.

States crack down on religious gatherings for Easter

As people prepare to celebrate Easter on Sunday, states are cracking down on religious gatherings to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. But some lawmakers and religious leaders are challenging the social distancing measures.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said anyone who goes to a mass gathering may have their license plates recorded so local health departments can deliver orders of self-quarantine. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie slammed the announcement.

A federal judge in California denied a San Diego church's request to hold an Easter service, even with social distancing measures including possibly requiring members to wear hazmat suits.

Meanwhile in Kansas, that battle has reached the Supreme Court after the Democratic governor's ban on religious and funeral services of more than 10 attendees was overturned by a legislative panel.

– Grace Hauck

Florida nursing homes ask governor for protection from lawsuits

Florida’s largest advocacy group for long-term care providers sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month requesting protection from lawsuits for health care professionals engaged in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Florida Health Care Association requested “immunity from any liability, civil or criminal” under certain conditions for nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities.

Brian Lee, executive director of Families For Better Care, a non-profit advocacy group for nursing home residents, said the letter was the equivalent of “asking for forgiveness in advance.”

“It just got my blood boiling. I was shocked by the temerity of the industry to ask for blanket immunity from lawsuits… and to do it during the middle of this crisis. It’s appalling, and it’s a total slap in the face of families,” Lee said. “All of their focus should be on saving our families lives, but it shows that, at the end of the day, they care more about their own protections. It’s gross.”

But the FHCA's argument is that “in the midst of this unprecedented crisis, (health care professionals) should be able to direct their skills and attention to helping individuals who need them, and not have to worry about being sued for making tough decisions while trying to comply with government directives,” spokesperson Kristen Knapp said.

Florida is reporting more than 18,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state.

– Grace Hauck

Americans are ‘starting to need a haircut’ Walmart CEO says

Consumer buying habits are going through a variety of stages as the country adjusts to life under lockdown, and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon says it’s clear many people are now in need of a haircut.

McMillon told the "Today" show that paper goods and hand sanitizer are continuing to sell out, with the retailer selling enough toilet paper in less than a week for every American to “have their own roll,” he said.

Those products were a part of buyers' first wave of purchases as the nation adjusted to widespread lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. Next, McMillon said Walmart saw a spike in puzzle and game purchases.

Now, other types of essentials are seeing a surge of interest: “Lately, we’ve seen more grooming products. People are starting to need a haircut, so you’re starting to see more beard trimmers and hair color and things like that.”

Another sign that consumers are paying attention to their appearance: An uptick in use of photo editing programs.

– Joel Shannon

More stores closing for Easter

More retailers will be closed for Easter than in past years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the long list of companies that have temporarily shuttered stores due to COVID-19, some grocery stores that have traditionally kept their doors open on the holiday will be closed to give employees a day off.

Many stores also have reduced hours to give staff time to restock shelves and clean in addition to special hours for seniors and those most vulnerable to the virus.

Trader Joe's, Sprouts Farmers Market, BJ's Wholesale Club and Southeastern Grocers (BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie) are among the retailers who have announced they will be closed April 12, a change from last year. Not all companies have announced 2020 plans.

– Kelly Tyko

Cuomo nixes mayor's bid to close NYC public schools for the rest of the term

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday that all public schools in New York City — the largest school district in the country — would remain closed for the rest of the school year, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly nixed the move, saying that was only the mayor's opinion.

Cuomo, speaking only hours after de Blasio's statement, said any decision about closing or opening schools would be coordinated with surrounding school districts in Westchester, Suffolk, Rockland and Nassau counties.

"There has been no decision on the schools," Cuomo said at his press briefing on Saturday, calling de Blasio's announcement the mayor's "opinion."

At this point, schools are only closed in New York through April 29.

The New York City school district serves 1.1 million students at more than 1,866 schools. The number of coronavirus deaths in New York state is over 8,627 and the number of positive cases exceeds 170,000. Of those cases, 74% are in New York City.

– Georgie Silvarole

Fact check:New York City is not planning to use trenches in local parks as burial grounds

Poll: More Americans think the economy is getting worse

A majority of Americans (65%) believe the economy is getting worse, a 40 percentage point jump from four weeks earlier, according to the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project with USA TODAY.

In the four weeks between surveys, the economy ground to a near-halt as much of the country was put under stay-at-home orders and nonessential businesses were forced to close. Since then, millions of people have been laid off or furloughed due to the pandemic.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that about 6.6 million Americans filed unemployment benefit claims for the first time last week, bringing the three-week total to more than 17 million.

– Rebecca Morin

Rural police will be hard hit as pandemic spreads to small towns

While the coronavirus pandemic strains big city police departments, it can cripple their rural counterparts, where even a handful of positive cases could wallop an entire police force.

Losing an entire police department would force community members to self-police and not follow the guidelines of county health departments, said Dwight Henninger, the police chief of Vail, Colorado, one of several rural counties that lead the nation in per capita rates of confirmed cases outside New York state and Louisiana.

“It would cripple us completely,” says Sheriff Troy Wellman of Moody County, South Dakota.

For example in Marfa, Texas, a desert town of less than 2,000 not far from the U.S.-Mexico border, police officers have stopped pulling people over for minor traffic stops.

Rural police have also been struggling to find protective gear and disinfectants for their officers – a problem that can be exacerbated when departments don’t have the money and flexibility to find extra staffing.

In Manistee, in western Michigan, the police department has only one N95 mask for each officer, so they make do with surgical masks while in Moody County, one dispatcher has made hand sanitizer at home using alcohol and aloe.

– Kristine Phillips

More coronavirus news and information from USA TODAY

• Her daycare was already on the brink. Then coronavirus struck.

• How ventilators work: Why COVID-19 patients need them to survive

• When are stimulus checks coming?Money set to roll out to Americans next week

• Help while you're stuck at home: How to make Easter special. Also, how to get alcohol delivered.

Trump cracks down on nations hesitant to accept US deportees due to COVID-19

Trump signed an order late Friday threatening to impose sanctions on countries that attempt to bar the repatriation of U.S. deportees because those people have spent time in the world's worst hot spot for coronavirus.

Underscoring the extent of the coronavirus in the U.S., some countries and immigrant advocates have called for a pause in U.S. deportations for fear that the international movement of immigrants could spread the virus to countries less equipped to handle it.

Guatemala briefly stopped accepting its own deported nationals from the U.S. last month because of the virus. While the country resumed accepting its own citizens, it is continuing to block Honduran and Salvadoran migrants deported from the U.S.

Trump's order instructs consular officials to stop processing U.S. visas for countries in which the Department of Homeland Security finds is no longer accepting deportees.

– John Fritze

Hotspots brace for deaths with refrigerated trucks

Medical examiners and funeral homes across the U.S. are scrambling to secure temperature-controlled trailers in anticipation of overwhelmed facilities.

The use of refrigerated trailers, known as reefers, is a common contingency plan in the event of natural disasters or mass fatality events like Hurricane Katrina or 9/11. But rarely, if ever, have they been deployed on such a massive scale to so many places at once — and in such a public way.

Images of people in protective suits loading bodies into trucks have appeared in numerous media outlets in the past few weeks. And they have prompted questions about respect for the dead and — when the makeshift morgues are no longer needed — what happens to the trailers.

Typically, the bodies of those who die in hospitals go straight to funeral homes, where they are prepared for memorial services. But as COVID-19 deaths mount and hospital morgues fill up, medical examiners are seeking additional capacity.

– Suzanne Hirt and Jessica Priest

Antibody tests crucial to determining who can safely go back to work

As officials discuss when to lift stay-at-home orders, companies are rushing to develop coronavirus antibody tests that could help them make those decisions without risking a second wave of infections.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday on CNN that antibody testing can show who has developed immunity to the coronavirus and can safely go back to work without getting reinfected.

“It's very important to appreciate and understand how much this virus is penetrating this society,” he said.

On the "Today" show, Fauci said a large number of antibody tests should be available in a matter of days or weeks, according to the companies developing them.

The test can tell if someone was previously infected and recovered, while the molecular test shows whether tat person was infected with the virus at the time the test was taken.

The two tests can determine if a person is immune and can transmit the disease, which is crucial in deciding who can go back to work.

If a person has antibodies in his blood, that means he has immune cells available to fight the virus, which lowers the risk of re-infection. Widespread testing can determine how many people carry the antibodies, which has an impact on whether to life social distancing restrictions.

– Adrianna Rodriguez

More coronavirus news and information from USA TODAY

• Leaders, be honest about what you know — and don't know. Transparency builds trust. Read The Backstory from USA TODAY editor Nicole Carroll.

•Mapping coronavirus:Track the pandemic in your state

• The US has a shortage of face masks amid coronavirus pandemic. A USA TODAY investigation shows why.

•These 20 retailers are giving back amid coronavirus crisis.

• Is pink eye a symptom of coronavirus? We checked the facts, and it's true.

• Are farmers really dumping milk even as grocery stores are short of it? Our ruling: Partly false.