What you need to know today about the virus outbreak

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Doctor Giovanni Passeri relaxes in the doctor’s lounge after completing a routine round of medical examinations during a night shift in his ward in the COVID-19 section of the Maggiore Hospital in Parma, northern Italy, Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Most of the times he is on a night shift the couch is the best Passeri can get to stretch out. A cardboard box at right holds envelopes with the medical charts of discharged patients. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

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In this Sunday, April 12, 2020, photo, a worker sorts out finished packaged masks prepared for export at the Wuhan Zonsen Medical Products Co. Ltd. in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province. China won’t restrict exports of medical goods needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a government spokesman said Thursday, April 16, 2020, amid global tension over scarce masks and ventilators. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Pallbearers wearing full PPE suits lower in the grave the casket containing the remains of Benedict Somi Vilakasi for his burial ceremony at the Nasrec Memorial Park outside Johannesburg Thursday, April 16, 2020. Vilakasi, a Soweto coffee shop manager, died of Covid-19 infection in a Johannesburg hospital Sunday April 12 2020. South Africa is under a strict five-week lockdown in a effort to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

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Leandro Moya Lara, who is homeless, is tested for COVID-19 in a program administered by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, during the new coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Miami. The Homeless Trust is targeting the senior population for testing, and is offering housing to those who test positive. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Protesters carry rifles near the steps of the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders to keep people at home and businesses locked during the new coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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People keep their distance as they exercise outside of a closed La Jolla beach Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Doctor Giovanni Passeri, top left, with his assistant doctor Mariaconcetta Terracina, has 82-year-old patient Mario read his note about the latter’s medical conditions during a routine examination part of a night shift in his ward in the COVID-19 section of the Maggiore Hospital in Parma, northern Italy Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Mario has been under oxygen CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) headgear ventilation and he could only communicate in writing because the hissing sound of the oxygen made it difficult for him to hear the doctor’s voice. Mario’s health conditions have been worsening since after his admission on March 28. He died in the evening of April 14. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

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In this Wednesday, April 15, 2020, photo, fashion designer Do Quyen Hoa shows off an embroidery face mask at her studio in Hanoi, Vietnam. The collection of face masks adorned with Vietnamese hand embroideries was created as the world is fighting against the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

By The Associated Press

Places with declining coronavirus infections and strong testing would be able to begin a three-phased gradual reopening of businesses and schools under new White House guidelines.

The approach was outlined by President Donald Trump on a call with the nation’s governors as the extent and depth of the financial pain from the global pandemic became clearer with the ranks of America’s unemployed swelling toward Great Depression-era levels.

But it doesn’t look as if life will be returning to normal anytime soon. Some places could see at least some restrictions remain in place through the end of the year.

Here are some of AP’s top stories Thursday on the world’s coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day and APNews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak for stories explaining some of its complexities.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:

—The record-setting flood of layoffs unleashed by the virus outbreak is extending beyond the service industries to white collar employees, ranging from software programmers and legal assistants to sales associates and some health care workers.

—An extraordinary number of deaths overwhelmed a nursing home in New Jersey where police found 18 bodies in a “makeshift morgue.”

—A Spanish funeral director does what he can to show respect for the dead while working in an underground parking garage-turned-morgue currently housing the bodies of over 500 victims of the pandemic.

—Some Roman Catholics may be returning to church after a diocese in New Mexico announced it will allow a small number of people to attend public celebrations of Mass in what could be the first move to alter a diocese-declared ban on public services in the U.S.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.

One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.

You should wash your phone, too. Here’s how.

TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you’re worried about live.

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ONE NUMBER:

— 22 million: Roughly 22 million have sought jobless benefits in the past month — easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record.

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IN OTHER NEWS:

— LOVERS’ GAZE: A co-worker snapped a photo of two nurses, a husband and wife, in an eye-to-eye embrace despite layers of protective gear. The image is inspiring people around the globe.

— HELPING CONNECTIONS: A 19-year-old Rhode Island man has set up a program to help coronavirus patients who aren’t allowed to receive visitors while in the hospital stay connected to their loved ones.

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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak