STATEWIDE — The U.S. and Canada will temporarily close the shared border to nonessential travel, and federal housing officials would immediately stop evictions and foreclosures in the latest international effort to fight the global coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump made the announcement Wednesday morning as part of an agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Truck drivers and Canadian residents who live in the U.S. for part of the year will likely be exempt. Both countries rely on shared trade, so a complete closure would not be economically feasible.

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A few hours later during a federal coronavirus task force briefing, Trump said two U.S. Navy hospital ships, Mercy and Comfort, will be deployed in the next week, one to New York and one to the West Coast. The ships have about 1,000 hospital rooms and surgical theaters.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will immediately suspend evictions and forclosures until the end of April.

Calling himself a "wartime president," Trump said he is invoking the Defense Production Act, which will expedite the supply of resources from industry to the military and Homeland Security.

The president also said the human clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine is going forward with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Trump also announced there would also be expanded testing on a self-swab process. He said he's asked the FDA to "cut through the red tape," saying the test would "free up a lot" of health professionals.

He announced he would meet with nurses Wednesday afternoon and the nation’s governors at FEMA on Thursday.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's Coronavirus Response Coordinator, announced troubling news from France, where at least two younger people (in their 20s, 30s, and 40s) are severely ill in an intensive care unit.

Sitting members of Congress tests positive

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of South Florida says he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Republican, whose district includes Hialeah, Doral, Clewiston, and Miami International Airport, says he had self-quarantined Friday after voting and decided not to return to South Florida because his wife has pre-existing conditions that put her at risk. A day later, he developed symptoms of fever and headache, he said in a statement.

Diaz-Balart tested positive Wednesday. He and has been working from his apartment in Washington and says he's "feeling much better. However, it's important that everyone take this seriously and follow CDC guidelines in order to avoid getting sick and mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times."

Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah also announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday. He said he began feeling "mild cold-like symptoms" Saturday evening upon returning from Washington D.C. and immediately isolated humself. On Tuesday, he was tested.

The Democratic congressman in a statement said he is currently self-quarantined.

Florida prolongs school district closings

Parents and guardians will be allowed to keep their children back a year if they want. In other school district news:

  • The state has suspended testing.
  • The College Board, which administers the SAT exam, has canceled the SATs scheduled for May. Students registered for these exams will get refunds, the board said. The June 6 SAT was still on as of Monday.
  • School administrators throughout the region are deep-cleaning schools so classrooms are clean and safe for students to return.
  • Before students return to the classroom, Orange County students will begin March 30 what's being called "distance learning."
  • For those students with limited or no internet access, Central Florida school districts are working on delivering paper materials to them, as well as to younger grades.

— Jeff Allen, Spectrum News

McConnell promises legislative action

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is promising congressional action to address the coronavirus crisis. He asserted that senators will not leave Washington until that happens.

Closer to home, Florida business owners want answers, especially those who have to shut their doors. Small businesses are on legislators' radar, including Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.

They say they don't want government bailouts, especially not for big business, but President Donald Trump has hinted otherwise, with a bailout for the airline industry in particular. In all, the White House is requesting more than $45 billion in emergency funding to address the pandemic. This is on top of Congress's ongoing economic stimulus plan, which would cost more than $1 trillion.

McConnell says legislators will take swift action.

"We're going to go on and vote as soon as the Senate can get permission to vote on the bill that came over from the House, send it down to the president for signature, and thus reassure the people around the country that we can operate on a bicameral and a bipartisan basis quickly," he said.

As some may recall, just two weeks ago, Congress approved $8.3 billion in emergency funding to fight the coronavirus.

Rubio on Twitter shared his plan to get cash to small business owners.

— Rebecca Turco, Spectrum News