Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of work by the coronavirus. The government says more than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. In all, about 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the past five weeks. That’s more than the population of the 10 biggest U.S. cities combined. Abroad, there is mixed news about the pandemic. Some countries, including Greece, Bangladesh and Malaysia, say they are extending lockdown orders. Vietnam, New Zealand and Croatia are among those moving to end or ease their lockdowns.

AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today looks at a dilemma amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic: How will societies strike a balance between public health and individual privacy. Listen to the podcast at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.

The AP plans the following coverage. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub at https://newsroom.ap.org/page/Coronavirus Find AP Virus Alerts here

ONLY ON AP:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VETERANS AFFAIRS: The Veterans Affairs Department, responsible for 9 million military veterans, says it was prepared for an onslaught of patients from the coronavirus. But interviews with nurses at facilities around the country, internal memos and a report for the agency’s inspector general tell another story. SENT: 1300 words, photos. A 1030-word abridge version has moved.

VIRUS OUTBREAK NURSING HOME VISITS: France has started to break the seals on its locked down nursing homes, allowing limited visitation rights for the families of elderly residents. SENT: 870 words, photos.

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus. SENT: 1170 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST; VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UN-HUMAN RIGHTS: U.N. chief: Pandemic is fast becoming a “human rights crisis

FINANCIAL MARKETS: The stock market ended another turbulent day more or less where it started after an early rally got washed away. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down, the government said Thursday. SENT: 1080 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS-PUBLIC COMPANIES: The federal government is making it tougher for public companies to tap a small business relief program, and seeking refunds in some cases from companies that already did. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GULF-TRAPPED LABORERS: Long a lifeline for families back home, migrant workers in oil-rich Gulf Arab states now find themselves trapped by the coronavirus pandemic, losing jobs, running out of money and desperate to return to their home countries as COVID-19 stalks their labor camps. SENT: 1050 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOME TESTING: After two months and 10,000 deaths that have made the nation’s nursing homes the worst places to be during the coronavirus crisis, most of them still don’t have access to enough tests to help control outbreaks among their frail, elderly residents. SENT: 1200 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-STATE STOCKPILES: An Associated Press review of more than 20 states found that many were still storing items that were left over from an influenza pandemic a decade ago and long since expired. SENT: 1300 words, photos.

AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP: Few Americans say they regularly look to or trust President Donald Trump as a source of information about the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. SENT: 960 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP: President Donald Trump is aiming for a swift nationwide reopening after the coronavirus shutdown, but he needs to convince Americans it’s safe to come out and resume their normal lives. Trump’s reelection likely rides on the pace of an economic rebound. SENT; developing.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEAT-PROCESSING-SAFETY: Daily reports of giant meat-processing plants closing because workers tested positive for the coronavirus call into question whether slaughterhouses can remain virus-free. According to experts, the answer may be no. SENT: 970 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEATPACKING PLANTS:

AUTO WORKERS-MEDICAL GEAR: Hundreds of workers at Ford, General Motors, Toyota and other companies have offered to work in a wartime-like effort to stem shortages of protective medical gear and equipment. SENT: 700 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-PETS: Can you get the coronavirus from your pet? Authorities say there’s no evidence animals are spreading the virus to people. SENT: 175 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-STUDENTS' MASKS: Georgetown Day School senior Jonah Docter-Loeb tapped into the online community of 3D printer enthusiasts where he found an open-source design for a welder’s mask-style face shield that he could print at home and provide to area hospitals. SENT: 550 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DRIVE-THRU-TESTING: Feeling sick and stressed, people in the states hardest hit by the coronavirus continue to line up at drive-thru testing sites. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

LIVES LOST-BROTHER TO BROTHER: Brothers who journeyed from rural Mexico to a life in the U.S. die one day apart from the coronavirus. SENT: 740 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELECTRONIC BRACELETS: Europe’s second-biggest port is readying to test an electronic device aimed at helping people respect social distancing as the spread of the coronavirus eases and they return to work. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-STUDENT AID: The Trump administration says students who entered the United States illegally and most international students will be barred from receiving emergency education grants approved by Congress as part of a $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package. SENT: 880 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INSURANCE CLAIMS: Millions of shuttered businesses have turned to their insurers to help recoup their losses following state-mandated closures, but that industry has widely rejected the claims, so businesses are suing to force them to pay. SENT: 1,010 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS: A nearly $500 billion measure helping businesses and hospitals cope with the coronavirus’ devastation is edging toward House passage. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS OVERSIGHT: Congressional oversight of the coronavirus rescue effort is quickly expanding. SENT: 580 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HHS-WHISTLEBLOWER: The head of a government agency combating the coronavirus pandemic says he was ousted for opposing politically connected efforts to promote a malaria drug that President Donald Trump has touted without proof as a remedy for COVID-19. SENT: 880 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-VIRUS FALLOUT: With legions out of work, Republicans across the critical battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are increasingly laying blame for the economic wreckage of the coronavirus outbreak on the stay-at-home orders or business shutdowns imposed by Democratic governors. SENT: 990 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Democratic Party chairman Tom Perez says he expects to hold an in-person convention in Milwaukee to nominate Joe Biden for president, though he didn’t rule out the potential that portions of the event would be conducted virtually. SENT: 550 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GEORGIA: President Donald Trump’s blunt disapproval of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to let some businesses reopen is only making decisions tougher for many owners, workers and customers. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK: More evidence is emerging that far more New Yorkers have had the coronavirus than the number confirmed by lab tests. SENT; developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE SUMMIT: European Union leaders have agreed to revamp the EU’s long-term budget and set up a massive recovery fund to tackle the impact of the coronavirus and help rebuild the bloc’s ravaged economies. SENT: 765 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY-MERKEL: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for international cooperation on the development of a vaccine for the new coronavirus, saying that the pandemic transcends borders and can only be countered jointly. SENT: 620 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA: Africa has registered a 43% jump in reported COVID-19 cases in the last week, highlighting a warning from the World Health Organization that the continent of 1.3 billion could become the next epicenter of the global outbreak. SENT: 700 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST: Like the wider Mideast, Iranians in cities rely on delivery for many of their daily supplies amid one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the coronavirus. Those deliveries, coming as Muslims preparefor Ramadan, offer new risks for the couriers trying to make a living. SENT: 780 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIFFIE-DEATH-MISINFORMATION: Conspiracy theorists are twisting facts online about country singer Joe Diffie’s death from COVID-19 complications. SENT: 300 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HAITI DEPORTEES: A plane carrying 129 migrants who were deported from the U.S. has landed in Haiti amid concerns that the second such flight this month could strain the impoverished country’s limited resources as it fights COVID-19. SENT: 400 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CLIMATE PROTEST: Youth groups are moving a long-planned global climate protest online Friday to skirt restrictions on public assemblies during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 170 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BOSNIA MIGRANTS: Bosnia’s security minister has proposed the deportation of migrants from the Balkan country, alleging that they pose a potential security threat and a severe economic burden amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 250 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONLINE LEARNING-DETROIT: About 51,000 K-12 public school students in Detroit will get computer tablets and high-speed internet to help transition from classroom to virtual learning during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 560 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-WARREN BROTHER: The oldest brother of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Donald Reed Herring, has died from the coronavirus. SENT: 200 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PERU ZOOS: Zoos and breeding centers in Peru say they’re running out of feed for their animals as quarantines keep paying customers at home during the new coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 360 words.

VOLKSWAGON RESTART: Volkswagen is slowly ramping up production at a German plant after a five-week closure. SENT: 220 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUTO RACES: Two South Dakota speedways say they are moving ahead with plans for races on Saturday and Sunday, but they will now hold the events without spectators. SENT: 430 words.

ROLLING STONES-NEW SONG: The Rolling Stones have unveiled a new song the band thinks is perfect for these coronavirus times. SENT: 160 words.

VIRUS RELIEF-BEYONCE: Beyoncé is focusing her coronavirus relief efforts on organizations that are helping communities of color that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 155 words.

MUSIC-RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: Rufus Wainwright is still working hard in lockdown despite canceled tour dates and a delayed album release. SENT: 300 words

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASEAN-US: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is telling his Southeast Asian counterparts that China is taking advantage of the world’s preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic to push its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. SENT: 420 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EMPTY PLAYGROUNDS-PHOTO GALLERY: The world's playgrounds sit silent among the pandemic. SENT: 200 words.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Cases Compared Inside and Outside of China (Chart): Chart shows the number of confirmed cases in China over time and compares them to cases confirmed outside of China.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from China, Russia, Spain, Israel, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Iran, Japan, Italy, various US and Latin America locations.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from Italy, Spain, France, India, Pakistan, Croatia, China, Lithuania, Denmark, Hungary, Turkey, Iran, Switzerland, Philippines, various US and Latin America locations.