Friday: What you need to know today about the virus outbreak

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump is pressing to restart the U.S. economy, which has been ravaged by the pandemic in a short few weeks.

He has given U.S. governors a road map for recovering from the acute economic pain, laying out a phased approach to restoring normal activity. "We're starting our life again," Trump said.

Meanwhile, China acknowledged that the coronavirus death toll for epicenter of Wuhan was 50% higher than previously reported — a major revision that highlights just how seriously current numbers on infections and deaths around the globe may be understating the true toll of the pandemic.

Here are some of AP's top stories Friday 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:

— President Donald Trump is encouraging his supporters to defy stay-at-home orders after the White House gave governors a road map on how to reopen businesses and schools.

— A New York state survey details the deadly toll the coronavirus had on nursing homes, with 19 facilities reporting 20 or more deaths.

— The French Navy is investigating how the coronavirus infected more than 900 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

—Pioneering music producers wanting to give back are hosting friendly competitions on social media while fans and artists homebound because of the coronavirus party on.

—Itching to explore but no way to travel? The Faroe Islands are offering remote tourism, where web users can control a real life tour guide to trek around the remote archipelago's quaint towns and volcanic islands.

—COVID-19 cases continue to grow in Lousiana, but at least one parish in the state was being allowed to reopen businesses.

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.

ONE NUMBER:

— 6.8: China's economy shrank by 6.8% from a year earlier in the quarter ending in March after factories, offices and shopping malls were closed to contain the outbreak, official data showed Friday.