UNITED NATIONS — U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said on Monday the world body wants $2 billion to help poor countries combat coronavirus and warned that a massive, coordinated package would also be needed to deal with the pandemic's social and economic impact around the world. "The package needs to make households be afloat, make businesses be afloat, keep societies being afloat," Guterres told a virtual news conference. "This will require a double-digit of GDP (gross domestic product) support in the developed world and creating the conditions through the IMF (International Monetary Fund), through the swaps among central banks, through the creation of new facilities," he said. So far more than 351,00 people have been infected and over 15,330 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Source: International New York Times March 23, 2020 16:48 UTC