Donald Trump, alongside the coronavirus task force, makes a statement on the outbreak during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on 15 March 2020

Donald Trump said the coronavirus outbreak could trigger a recession on Monday, as states across the country prepared to enter into lockdown with shops and venues closing nationwide.

The president said the US "may" see a recession as a result of the outbreak, but added that "the market will take care of itself" during a press conference at the White House.

The Dow Jones plummeted 3,000 points on Monday, reflecting the market's worst one-day point drop in history. Monday's drop came just one day after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to near-zero, a dramatic move that appeared to do little to restore confidence in the market, while cities and states across the US announced sweeping closures to avoid spreading the virus.

Meanwhile, San Francisco's mayor ordered the city's residents to "shelter at home" for three weeks in one of the most stringent responses yet to the coronavirus by a major US city.

The death toll rose to at least 69 and the number of cases in the US rose to more than 3,500, with experts suggesting those numbers are actually far higher due to the lack of nationwide testing.

The White House has meanwhile been forced to deny rumours of a national quarantine and nightly curfews, as reports indicated the US Health and Human Services Department suffered an attempted cyber attack amid its response to the pandemic.

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