Wrapping up an almost hour-long briefing, Donald Trump said while a nationwide stay at home order had been discussed, such a measure would be "pretty unlikely".
"If we do that we will let you know," he said, adding that the order would be "tough" to enforce.
Asked why the US remained behind countries like South Korea in terms of the testing rate per capita, Trump said he should be congratulated on his administration's progress - and repeated earlier comments that the US is testing faster than any other country.
The president also doubled down on assertions from Sunday that states were "hoarding" critical medical supplies.
Trump: 'We're in very good shape' with ventilator supply
Trump says he thinks the US will be in "very good shape" supplying states with ventilators and other medical supplies by the time the outbreak "peaks" in two weeks.
"We have now 10 companies at least making the ventilators and we say go ahead," he said at his daily White House press briefing.
Some states "are ramping up to a level that they're not going to have to", he added.
Trump yesterday accused governors of "hoarding" critical medical equipment.
Pope Francis’s vicar of Rome tests positive
The vicar for the diocese of Rome, Angelo De Donatis, has
tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first known Catholic cardinal to
do so.
The 66-year-old was admitted to hospital in Rome
after falling ill with Covid-19 symptoms.
Cardinal De Donatis, who was reported to be in a good condition,
said he felt “calm and confident” in a statement on Monday.
It is not clear if the cardinal has had any contract with
Pope Francis recently.
Pope Francis appointed De Donatis to preside over the diocese
as the vicar of Rome in 2017.
On Saturday, the pope said neither he nor his closest aides
have tested positive for coronavirus.
The cardinal was admitted to hospital with a feverImage caption: The cardinal was admitted to hospital with a fever
Trump details equipment deliveries - to US and abroad
Medical equipment shortages have been a key issue across the US. President Trump says private companies working with the government are soon going to outpace the nation's needs.
He says 8,100 ventilators have been sent out thus far. Four hundred more are going to Michigan, 300 to New Jersey, 150 to Illinois, 150 to Louisiana, 50 to Connecticut.
He says the government has distributed to date millions of masks, face shields, surgical gowns and gloves.
Mr Trump adds that the Ford Motor Company will be producing 50,000 new ventilators and doing so "in less than 100 days".
Nine other companies are also working on ventilator production.
"As we outpace what we need, we'll be sending them to Italy, we're going to be sending them to France, we're going to be sending them to Spain where they have tremendous problems," Mr Trump added.
The president says the US will specifically be "sending $100m-worth of things - surgical and medical and hospital things - to Italy".
US to deploy new mask sanitising machines
Addressing the US mask shortage, President Trump says new equipment to sanitise masks will be sent out to the regional hotspots.
Each mask can be disinfected 20 times and the new machine can take on 120,000 masks per day, Mr Trump says.
Two disinfecting machines are now in Ohio; one is in New York City; two more are being shipped to Washington DC and Seattle.
The new 'five-minute' US coronavirus test
Back at the White House press conference, the US has tested a million people for Covid-19, officials say.
President Trump also unveils Abbott labs' new "highly accurate" five-minute test. He unboxes one of the new kits at the briefing.
Dr Stephen Hahn, the US drug agency commissioner, says Abbott worked with the government to deliver these new tests quickly.
Dr Hahn also says other labs are continuing to scale up the production of tests and sending them out to states.
USA Rugby files for bankruptcy
USA Rugby, the national body for rugby union the US, has filed for bankruptcy amid "insurmountable financial constraints" due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chairwoman Barbara O'Brien said this was "the most challenging period this organisation has faced".
"While the current climate is of course much larger than rugby, we remain focused with stakeholders and supporters in the continued effort toward a balanced rugby community where the game can truly grow," she added.
In a statement on its website, USA Rugby said World Rugby is financially helping them navigate the bankruptcy process.
The men's and women's US national teams will start playing again after the pandemic is over, the organisation added.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The LA Sevens were held earlier this monthImage caption: The LA Sevens were held earlier this month
Trump begins briefing
President Donald Trump is now speaking at the White House.
He begins the daily briefing today by emphasising that following official rules will help curb the spread of Covid-19.
"By very vigorously following the guidelines we could save more than one million American lives", he says, adding these decisions will "determine the fate of this virus and the fate of our victory".
He called on all Americans to do their part, saying this was a shared patriotic duty.
"Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days and these are a very vital 30 days we're sort of putting it all on the line."
Las Vegas car park turned into 'homeless shelter'
People have criticised Las Vegas authorities for turning a car park into an outdoor sleeping area for homeless people.
Photos of people lying on the ground in painted white boxes - one person per space - have gone viral on social media, with some users questioning why the homeless people weren't put up in the city's hotels, which have been closed.
But officials have praised the makeshift sleeping area. Lisa Morris Hibbler, chief community services officer for the city of Las Vegas, told local CBS-affiliate 8 News Now that the boxes were "spaced so that they're social distancing".
According to US media, the area was set up as a last-minute makeshift area for the city's homeless community after someone in one of the main shelters tested positive for coronavirus.
US President Donald Trump and his Covid-19 task force are due to update the nation on the virus outbreak in a few minutes.
The daily briefing comes as more states have ordered residents to stay at home and medical workers across the nation continue to plead for more equipment.
There are now 156,931 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US and 2,945 deaths, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.
New York remains the nation's epicentre, accounting for at least 790 coronavirus-related deaths.
Air Canada to temporarily lay off 15,000 employees
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Air Canada - the country's largest airline - will temporarily lay off more than 15,000 workers this week, the Canadian Press reports.
The airline has already announced it would lay off 5,150 flight attendants and has put 600 of its 4,400 pilots on unpaid leave as the company struggles to stay afloat amid border closures and travel cancellations prompted by the outbreak of Covid-19.
Calgary-based WestJet announced last week that 6,900 employees would be laid off. The airline said that 90% of those lay offs were voluntary.
In the US, major airlines United and Delta have so far avoided lay offs, first asking thousands of thousands of employees to take unpaid leave, or early retirement plans. Both will be beneficiaries of the $2tn (£1.7tn) aid bill signed by Donald Trump this week, though industry executives have warned the boost may not be enough to see the crisis through.
Merkel continues self-isolation despite third negative test
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will remain in self-quarantine despite testing negative for coronavirus for a third time, a government spokesperson says.
Mrs Merkel, 65, started working from home after her doctor tested positive for coronavirus on 22 March. She had received a vaccination against pneumonia from the doctor a few days earlier.
On Thursday night a government spokesperson said Mrs Merkel would continue to work from home for a few more days.
Mrs Merkel has had three tests for coronavirus, all of which have proved negativeImage caption: Mrs Merkel has had three tests for coronavirus, all of which have proved negative
Evangelical university in Covid-19 row
Liberty University, an evangelical Christian institution in Lynchburg, Virginia, has pushed back against a New York Times article that says nearly a dozen students are now sick with Covid-19 symptoms after the school allowed spring breakers to return to campus. As of Monday, the Times says one student has tested positive.
The university's president, Jerry Falwell Jr, made the decision to welcome thousands of students back last week, telling Fox News that people were over-reacting to the pandemic.
The institution issued a response on Sunday saying the article was "misleading" and it was not aware of "any students in its residence halls testing positive for Covid-19, or in fact, being tested at all".
Liberty said four students had been asked to self-quarantine after returning from the New York City area, and that some students who did not live on campus had reported symptoms.
Amid the row, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Monday issued a stay at home order lasting until 10 June.
The order also mandates all higher education institutions to end in-person classes - which local media say may be due to Liberty's policy.
France records highest daily death toll
Another 418 people have died of the coronavirus in France - the highest number of deaths in a 24-hour period.
The total death toll is now 3,024, although French officials only count those who die in hospitals.
A total of 44,550 people in France have now tested positive for Covid-19 - an 11% rise from yesterday.
The country has been in lockdown since 17 March.
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
See how worldwide cases hit 750,000 with our visual guide
The coronavirus pandemic has become a global health crisis
affecting at least 177 countries.
The total number of confirmed cases globally
surged above 750,000 on Monday, a grim new milestone for a disease that was
first detected in one Chinese city around four months ago.
Given the global scale of the health emergency, it is difficult
to comprehend how Covid-19 has proliferated so quickly.
To help you make sense of the pandemic, you can read our visual guide, which includes maps and charts with the latest data on deaths, cases and
recoveries.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Find out how many cases are in your area
There are a total of 22,141 confirmed infections and 1,408 deaths from coronavirus
in the UK, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.
Most of those cases are concentrated in England, where London,
the West Midlands and the South East are the worst-affected regions.
The number of infections may be far greater because not
everyone who suspects they have contracted the virus has been tested.
Fresh fish sales jump in Kenya as Chinese imports drop
Ferdinand Omondi
BBC News, Nairobi
AFPCopyright: AFP
Sales of fresh fish in Kenya have risen as imports from China have dropped amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sellers in Dunga Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria report a jump in trade of about 40% over two weeks.
"The fishermen are really now smiling at the Lake Victoria region because we are receiving more visitors. Dunga is really crowded with a lot of the residents of Kisumu coming to buy the fresh fish because people fear the Chinese boxed fish due to the coronavirus," says Maurice Misodhi, a fisherman and leader at the Dunga Beach Management Unit.
Cargo from China is allowed to enter Kenya but only on condition that vessels are fumigated at the point of exit.
Local fish costs about twice as much as frozen fish from China, of which Kenya imported more than $23m (£19m) worth in 2018. Chinese fish used to make up about 50% of the market.
But the scarcity of Chinese fish isn’t good news for everyone. Caroline Ochieng, a fish seller, says she is struggling to make a decent profit because Chinese fish is cheaper than local lake fish.
"That is the reason we want the Chinese fish to be in supply as well as that from our own lake - so that as we do business we don't feel the burden."
Before the coronavirus outbreak, local fishermen complained that cheap imports harmed local trade so much that they often resorted to eating their catch themselves or giving much of it away.
There are worries that local fishermen won’t be able to keep up with new demand for fresh fish. But for now at least, they are making the most of the surge in trade.
US central bank: 47 million Americans could lose their jobs
Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
More than 47 million Americans could lose their jobs in the next three months, pushing the US unemployment rate above 32%.
However, the heavy economic cost is already clear, with a record 3.28 million Americans filing for unemployment last week.
Those numbers are expected to rise. In just one example, US department store Macy’s on Monday, said it had placed most of its 130,000 workers on unpaid leave, citing the loss of “the majority of our sales”. It said it would continue to pay for staff health
insurance until the end of May.
Thornberry: Help for stranded Brits not good enough
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said it was "more of the same... more reliance on commercial flights which - for too many British travellers based in too many locations - are simply not an option at present".
She called for "a fresh, comprehensive and fully-funded strategy to bring our British nationals home... that is not what we got today, and that is not good enough".
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey welcomed the foreign secretary's words but said "questions remain about why this announcement has taken so long".
Live Reporting
Ritu Prasad, Ashitha Nagesh, Joshua Nevett, Deirdre Finnerty, Holly Honderich, Rob Corp, Andreas Illmer, Frances Mao, Krutika Pathi and Owen Amos
All times stated are UK
-
The global number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed
750,000, a grim new milestone, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University
-
New York governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded for health workers from other states to help out
-
Italy's death toll and confirmed cases jumped to 11,591 and 101,739
respectively, as the country's lockdown was extended to 12 April
-
The Spanish foreign minister said the upward rise in cases in the country appears to be flattening out
- The Hungarian government was granted the power to rule by decree, prompting concern for democracy in the country
-
President Donald Trump said he was confident US hospitals would have enough ventilators to meet the "peak" of infection rates
-
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced a deal with airlines to rescue UK citizens stranded abroad
-
Another 180 people died in the UK, bringing total virus
deaths to 1,408
- The Tokyo Olympic Games was rescheduled to start on 23 July, 2021 after being postponed from this summer
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tested negative for coronavirus after going into self-isolation
- Syria reported its first death from coronavirus, raising questions over the country’s resilience to the pandemic
- Prince Charles came out of self-isolation, following his diagnosis of coronavirus
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The cardinal was admitted to hospital with a feverImage caption: The cardinal was admitted to hospital with a fever 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The LA Sevens were held earlier this monthImage caption: The LA Sevens were held earlier this month View more on twitterView more on twitter 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Mrs Merkel has had three tests for coronavirus, all of which have proved negativeImage caption: Mrs Merkel has had three tests for coronavirus, all of which have proved negative 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
BBCCopyright: BBC 
BBCCopyright: BBC 
AFPCopyright: AFP 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Latest PostThanks for following our live coverage
We are pausing our live page coverage for the day. Thanks for following all the latest updates with us.
Here are some of the most noteworthy developments of the day:
Trump: National stay home order 'pretty unlikely'
What else did the US president say?
Wrapping up an almost hour-long briefing, Donald Trump said while a nationwide stay at home order had been discussed, such a measure would be "pretty unlikely".
"If we do that we will let you know," he said, adding that the order would be "tough" to enforce.
Asked why the US remained behind countries like South Korea in terms of the testing rate per capita, Trump said he should be congratulated on his administration's progress - and repeated earlier comments that the US is testing faster than any other country.
The president also doubled down on assertions from Sunday that states were "hoarding" critical medical supplies.
Trump: 'We're in very good shape' with ventilator supply
Trump says he thinks the US will be in "very good shape" supplying states with ventilators and other medical supplies by the time the outbreak "peaks" in two weeks.
"We have now 10 companies at least making the ventilators and we say go ahead," he said at his daily White House press briefing.
Some states "are ramping up to a level that they're not going to have to", he added.
Trump yesterday accused governors of "hoarding" critical medical equipment.
Pope Francis’s vicar of Rome tests positive
The vicar for the diocese of Rome, Angelo De Donatis, has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first known Catholic cardinal to do so.
The 66-year-old was admitted to hospital in Rome after falling ill with Covid-19 symptoms.
Cardinal De Donatis, who was reported to be in a good condition, said he felt “calm and confident” in a statement on Monday.
It is not clear if the cardinal has had any contract with Pope Francis recently.
Pope Francis appointed De Donatis to preside over the diocese as the vicar of Rome in 2017.
On Saturday, the pope said neither he nor his closest aides have tested positive for coronavirus.
Watch our video of Pope Francis giving a solitary prayer service to an empty St Peter's Square last week.
Trump details equipment deliveries - to US and abroad
Medical equipment shortages have been a key issue across the US. President Trump says private companies working with the government are soon going to outpace the nation's needs.
He says 8,100 ventilators have been sent out thus far. Four hundred more are going to Michigan, 300 to New Jersey, 150 to Illinois, 150 to Louisiana, 50 to Connecticut.
He says the government has distributed to date millions of masks, face shields, surgical gowns and gloves.
Mr Trump adds that the Ford Motor Company will be producing 50,000 new ventilators and doing so "in less than 100 days".
Nine other companies are also working on ventilator production.
"As we outpace what we need, we'll be sending them to Italy, we're going to be sending them to France, we're going to be sending them to Spain where they have tremendous problems," Mr Trump added.
The president says the US will specifically be "sending $100m-worth of things - surgical and medical and hospital things - to Italy".
US to deploy new mask sanitising machines
Addressing the US mask shortage, President Trump says new equipment to sanitise masks will be sent out to the regional hotspots.
Each mask can be disinfected 20 times and the new machine can take on 120,000 masks per day, Mr Trump says.
Two disinfecting machines are now in Ohio; one is in New York City; two more are being shipped to Washington DC and Seattle.
The new 'five-minute' US coronavirus test
Back at the White House press conference, the US has tested a million people for Covid-19, officials say.
President Trump also unveils Abbott labs' new "highly accurate" five-minute test. He unboxes one of the new kits at the briefing.
Dr Stephen Hahn, the US drug agency commissioner, says Abbott worked with the government to deliver these new tests quickly.
Dr Hahn also says other labs are continuing to scale up the production of tests and sending them out to states.
USA Rugby files for bankruptcy
USA Rugby, the national body for rugby union the US, has filed for bankruptcy amid "insurmountable financial constraints" due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chairwoman Barbara O'Brien said this was "the most challenging period this organisation has faced".
"While the current climate is of course much larger than rugby, we remain focused with stakeholders and supporters in the continued effort toward a balanced rugby community where the game can truly grow," she added.
In a statement on its website, USA Rugby said World Rugby is financially helping them navigate the bankruptcy process.
The men's and women's US national teams will start playing again after the pandemic is over, the organisation added.
Trump begins briefing
President Donald Trump is now speaking at the White House.
He begins the daily briefing today by emphasising that following official rules will help curb the spread of Covid-19.
"By very vigorously following the guidelines we could save more than one million American lives", he says, adding these decisions will "determine the fate of this virus and the fate of our victory".
He called on all Americans to do their part, saying this was a shared patriotic duty.
"Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days and these are a very vital 30 days we're sort of putting it all on the line."
Las Vegas car park turned into 'homeless shelter'
People have criticised Las Vegas authorities for turning a car park into an outdoor sleeping area for homeless people.
Photos of people lying on the ground in painted white boxes - one person per space - have gone viral on social media, with some users questioning why the homeless people weren't put up in the city's hotels, which have been closed.
But officials have praised the makeshift sleeping area. Lisa Morris Hibbler, chief community services officer for the city of Las Vegas, told local CBS-affiliate 8 News Now that the boxes were "spaced so that they're social distancing".
According to US media, the area was set up as a last-minute makeshift area for the city's homeless community after someone in one of the main shelters tested positive for coronavirus.
Trump to update US shortly
US President Donald Trump and his Covid-19 task force are due to update the nation on the virus outbreak in a few minutes.
The daily briefing comes as more states have ordered residents to stay at home and medical workers across the nation continue to plead for more equipment.
There are now 156,931 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US and 2,945 deaths, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.
New York remains the nation's epicentre, accounting for at least 790 coronavirus-related deaths.
Air Canada to temporarily lay off 15,000 employees
Air Canada - the country's largest airline - will temporarily lay off more than 15,000 workers this week, the Canadian Press reports.
The airline has already announced it would lay off 5,150 flight attendants and has put 600 of its 4,400 pilots on unpaid leave as the company struggles to stay afloat amid border closures and travel cancellations prompted by the outbreak of Covid-19.
Calgary-based WestJet announced last week that 6,900 employees would be laid off. The airline said that 90% of those lay offs were voluntary.
In the US, major airlines United and Delta have so far avoided lay offs, first asking thousands of thousands of employees to take unpaid leave, or early retirement plans. Both will be beneficiaries of the $2tn (£1.7tn) aid bill signed by Donald Trump this week, though industry executives have warned the boost may not be enough to see the crisis through.
Merkel continues self-isolation despite third negative test
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will remain in self-quarantine despite testing negative for coronavirus for a third time, a government spokesperson says.
Mrs Merkel, 65, started working from home after her doctor tested positive for coronavirus on 22 March. She had received a vaccination against pneumonia from the doctor a few days earlier.
On Thursday night a government spokesperson said Mrs Merkel would continue to work from home for a few more days.
Other world leaders have been self-isolating, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Evangelical university in Covid-19 row
Liberty University, an evangelical Christian institution in Lynchburg, Virginia, has pushed back against a New York Times article that says nearly a dozen students are now sick with Covid-19 symptoms after the school allowed spring breakers to return to campus. As of Monday, the Times says one student has tested positive.
The university's president, Jerry Falwell Jr, made the decision to welcome thousands of students back last week, telling Fox News that people were over-reacting to the pandemic.
The institution issued a response on Sunday saying the article was "misleading" and it was not aware of "any students in its residence halls testing positive for Covid-19, or in fact, being tested at all".
Liberty said four students had been asked to self-quarantine after returning from the New York City area, and that some students who did not live on campus had reported symptoms.
Amid the row, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Monday issued a stay at home order lasting until 10 June.
The order also mandates all higher education institutions to end in-person classes - which local media say may be due to Liberty's policy.
France records highest daily death toll
Another 418 people have died of the coronavirus in France - the highest number of deaths in a 24-hour period.
The total death toll is now 3,024, although French officials only count those who die in hospitals.
A total of 44,550 people in France have now tested positive for Covid-19 - an 11% rise from yesterday.
The country has been in lockdown since 17 March.
See how worldwide cases hit 750,000 with our visual guide
The coronavirus pandemic has become a global health crisis affecting at least 177 countries.
The total number of confirmed cases globally surged above 750,000 on Monday, a grim new milestone for a disease that was first detected in one Chinese city around four months ago.
Given the global scale of the health emergency, it is difficult to comprehend how Covid-19 has proliferated so quickly.
To help you make sense of the pandemic, you can read our visual guide, which includes maps and charts with the latest data on deaths, cases and recoveries.
Find out how many cases are in your area
There are a total of 22,141 confirmed infections and 1,408 deaths from coronavirus in the UK, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.
Most of those cases are concentrated in England, where London, the West Midlands and the South East are the worst-affected regions.
The number of infections may be far greater because not everyone who suspects they have contracted the virus has been tested.
To see how many cases there are where you live, you can enter your postcode, council or NHS area in our search tool.
Fresh fish sales jump in Kenya as Chinese imports drop
Ferdinand Omondi
BBC News, Nairobi
Sales of fresh fish in Kenya have risen as imports from China have dropped amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sellers in Dunga Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria report a jump in trade of about 40% over two weeks.
"The fishermen are really now smiling at the Lake Victoria region because we are receiving more visitors. Dunga is really crowded with a lot of the residents of Kisumu coming to buy the fresh fish because people fear the Chinese boxed fish due to the coronavirus," says Maurice Misodhi, a fisherman and leader at the Dunga Beach Management Unit.
Cargo from China is allowed to enter Kenya but only on condition that vessels are fumigated at the point of exit.
Local fish costs about twice as much as frozen fish from China, of which Kenya imported more than $23m (£19m) worth in 2018. Chinese fish used to make up about 50% of the market.
But the scarcity of Chinese fish isn’t good news for everyone. Caroline Ochieng, a fish seller, says she is struggling to make a decent profit because Chinese fish is cheaper than local lake fish.
"That is the reason we want the Chinese fish to be in supply as well as that from our own lake - so that as we do business we don't feel the burden."
Before the coronavirus outbreak, local fishermen complained that cheap imports harmed local trade so much that they often resorted to eating their catch themselves or giving much of it away.
There are worries that local fishermen won’t be able to keep up with new demand for fresh fish. But for now at least, they are making the most of the surge in trade.
US central bank: 47 million Americans could lose their jobs
Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter
More than 47 million Americans could lose their jobs in the next three months, pushing the US unemployment rate above 32%.
That’s according to a recent analysis by the Federal Reserve, which describes it as a “back-of-the-envelope” calculation.
However, the heavy economic cost is already clear, with a record 3.28 million Americans filing for unemployment last week.
Those numbers are expected to rise. In just one example, US department store Macy’s on Monday, said it had placed most of its 130,000 workers on unpaid leave, citing the loss of “the majority of our sales”. It said it would continue to pay for staff health insurance until the end of May.
Thornberry: Help for stranded Brits not good enough
UK politicians have been reacting to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's announcement that the government will work with commercial airlines to help British nationals stranded abroad get back home.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said it was "more of the same... more reliance on commercial flights which - for too many British travellers based in too many locations - are simply not an option at present".
She called for "a fresh, comprehensive and fully-funded strategy to bring our British nationals home... that is not what we got today, and that is not good enough".
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey welcomed the foreign secretary's words but said "questions remain about why this announcement has taken so long".