The prospect of U.S. troops being stationed at the border with Canada is constrained by an 1878 act of Congress. The original Posse Comitatus Act limited federal use of the Army to enforce domestic policies at home and a 1956 amendment added the U.S. Air Force. Last updated in 1981, it does not apply to the Navy or Marine Corps nor does it prevent state-level use of National Guard personnel on home soil.

Having failed to convince feuding Afghan presidential foes to resolve an ongoing dispute over who should lead their country, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced a $1 billion cut in aid this year. He also said in a 23 March statement that a similar amount would be cut in 2021 and that all other programs and project funding would be reviewed.

Chinese officials said 24 March that the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, the original epicentre for the global viral pandemic, will be partly lifted 08 April and that travel restrictions in the rest of Hubei province will be lifted earlier for demonstrably healthy residents.

Britons who continue to assemble in large groups as diagnoses and deaths from COVID-19 continue to increase have been warned of “further measures” unless they heed their government’s advice on social distancing. “If you don’t do it responsibly,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 22 March, “we will have to bring forward further measures.”