Californians told to stay home as pandemic's reach worsens

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — California's governor ordered people in the most populous U.S. state to stay home as the coronavirus pandemic's toll worsened so much world leaders warned of “record” economic pain.

Iran accused the United States of helping spread the virus by retaining sanctions that prevent it importing desperately needed medicine and medical equipment. Iran's 1,200 deaths are exceeded only by those in Italy and China, and fears remain that it is underreporting the scale of its outbreak.

Iran’s U.N. Mission said the sanctions, imposed over the country's nuclear program, were making it virtually impossible for Iran to import what it needed to fight the virus.

“In other words, while the U.S. is trying to curb the virus internally, it is helping the spread of the virus externally," it said in a statement.

Worldwide the death toll from COVID-19 passed 10,000 and infections exceeded 244,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

More than 86,000 people have recovered, mostly in China, but the pace is much slower than the spread of the virus. Recovery takes two weeks or so for mild cases but can be up to six weeks for those that turn serious, according to the World Health Organization.

The developments came as nations impose ever-stricter border controls and lockdowns to keep people at home and keep away outsiders, hoping to slow the spread of the virus while preparing for an onslaught of sick patients. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a looming global recession “perhaps of record dimensions.”

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that if strong action wasn't taken, 56% of the state's 40 million residents could contract the virus over the next eight weeks. He expanded restrictions on non-essential movement outside of...