US Domestic News Roundup: California issues 'stay home' order; Trump presses FDA to fast-track potential coronavirus drugs and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

As U.S. workers file for unemployment, some states are less prepared

The U.S. unemployment benefits program, a key part of the safety net for the labor market, is about to face its biggest test in more than a decade. More than 1.5 million applications could be filed this week, economists said, as people who work for restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses suddenly find themselves out of work because of the coronavirus.

Walmart to hire 150,000 workers as shoppers surge on coronavirus fears

Big-box retailer Walmart Inc said on Thursday it would hire more than 150,000 hourly workers in the United States, citing a jump in shoppers due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rival Amazon.com Inc made a similar move earlier this week, announcing it would hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the United States as the virus outbreak boosts online orders.

Bipartisan U.S. talks expected on rescue for coronavirus-hit economy

U.S. senators from both parties were expected to meet on Friday along with Trump administration officials to try to devise a rescue plan for an economy reeling from the coronavirus, after Republicans made a $1 trillion opening bid. The massive Republican package unveiled on Thursday includes checks of up to $1,200 for many Americans and hundreds of billions of dollars in loans for small businesses and industries. It also would allow Americans a breather on filing their income taxes until July. They are normally due in April.

U.S., Mexico working on travel restrictions to curb coronavirus - Pompeo

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday he was working with his Mexican counterpart on travel restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The United States could announce restrictions on travel across the U.S.-Mexico border as soon as Friday, limiting crossings to essential travel, two officials briefed on the matter said.

California issues 'stay home' order; U.S. death toll hits 200

California issued an unprecedented statewide "stay at home" order on Thursday for its 40 million residents and Washington warned Americans to return home or stay abroad indefinitely, as the number of coronavirus deaths in the country hit 200. Governor Gavin Newsom's directive, effective immediately, marks the largest and most sweeping government clampdown yet in the worsening public health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak, which he predicted could infect more than half the state within eight weeks.

Faced with a shortage of face masks, some U.S. doctors make their own

Doctors in Seattle have been reduced to making their own face masks out of sheets of plastic, after a global shortage of medical protective gear has hit Washington state, an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Ahead of an anticipated shortage of medical supplies, hospital staff met in a conference room south of Seattle to make homemade masks for the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the frontline of tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

How one elite New York medical provider got its patients coronavirus tests

As U.S. authorities scrambled to ramp up the nation's capacity to test for coronavirus last week, at least 100 executives and other New Yorkers of means had easy access to testing, according to two sources familiar with the activities of a little-known medical service catering to the affluent. These people paid a $5,000-a-year membership fee for a medical concierge service in New York City called Sollis Health, which worked with Enzo Clinical Labs Inc to test its members for COVID-19, according to the sources.

Brazil bars certain foreigners, allows Americans, as coronavirus spreads

Brazil late on Thursday announced it will bar citizens from certain countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak from entering the country, but exempted the United States, one of the countries with the highest number of cases. The measure was published in Brazil's federal gazette and is relatively weak in its restrictions compared to other Latin American nations. Those banned include citizens of the EU, China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Trump presses FDA to fast-track potential coronavirus drugs

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called on U.S. health regulators to expedite potential therapies aimed at treating COVID-19 amid the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, saying it could lead to a breakthrough while a vaccine is still under development. Trump, speaking at a news conference, pointed to efforts on Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir and the generic antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, saying he had called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to streamline its regulatory approval process.

Whole Foods' New York employee tests positive for coronavirus

A Whole Foods Market employee working at one of its grocery stores in New York City tested positive for the coronavirus and was placed in quarantine, a spokeswoman for the Amazon.com Inc-owned company said on Thursday. The affected Whole Foods' store in Columbus Circle, New York City, was closed early Wednesday for additional cleaning and disinfection, the spokeswoman told Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies.)