Inside a coronavirus containment zone in New Rochelle, N.Y., National Guard troops worked with a local food program to make sure affected families did not have to miss a meal. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo barred people from going to school, worship, or any other large gathering until March 25 in a mile-wide zone in the hard-hit Westchester County suburb of New York City. For students who get free or reduced-price lunch from schools, it could mean empty bellies until classes begin again.

President Donald Trump announced travel restrictions on Europe on Wednesday as state and local governments began pulling out all the stops in the fight against the new coronavirus. The European travel ban, which excludes the United Kingdom, will initially last for 30 days. Trump also proposed measures to ease the economic effects of the epidemic as officials across the country put school and public gatherings on hold—some voluntarily and some by government mandate

If the worldwide outbreak of the new coronavirus did not have everyone’s attention before, it should now. The World Health Organization officially designated it a pandemic on Wednesday.

The punishment a judge gave Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday could amount to a life sentence for the ailing 67-year-old. A jury convicted the disgraced movie mogul of a felony sex act and third-degree rape last month. The charges stemmed from accusations by two of the more than 90 women who have said he assaulted them.

U.S. stocks recovered some on Tuesday after a steep decline the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 7.8 percent on Monday in its steepest drop since the financial crisis of 2008. President Donald Trump said he would ask Congress to pass payroll tax relief to help calm the economy. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees U.S. financial markets, asked employees to work remotely for the foreseeable future after an employee at the agency’s Washington headquarters came down with respiratory symptoms on Monday.

As rocket fire landed within earshot, incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told attendees at his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, “We’ve seen bigger attacks. Don’t be afraid of just two blasts.” Many Afghans fear more violence ahead after Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, each took the oath of office at simultaneous ceremonies. Both claimed victory in September’s election, which Ghani officially won but Abdullah said was tainted by fraud.

The coronavirus outbreak has a higher overall mortality rate than previously thought. At 3.4 percent, it surpasses seasonal flu but falls short of the 10 percent death rate for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or the 34 percent rate for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)—both also coronaviruses. The World Health Organization noted Tuesday that the calculation does not include infected people who didn’t need medical attention. The mortality rate from the new coronavirus is much higher among the elderly and infirm than in the rest of the population.