7 p.m. -- The latest from the Associated Press:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city of Louisville cannot halt a drive-in church service planned for Easter, a federal judge ruled. On Fire Christian Church had sued Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and the city after Fischer announced drive-in style religious gatherings were not allowed on Easter. U.S. District Judge Justin Walker sided with the church. “On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter,” Walker wrote in his sternly worded 20-page opinion. “That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion.” Walker added that “The Mayor’s decision is stunning. And it is, ‘beyond all reason,’ unconstitutional.” Fischer had argued that drive-in church services weren’t “practical or safe” for the community. However, Walker noted that drive-thru restaurants and liquor stores were still allowed to operate.
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LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has stressed the need for the British people to continue to abide with lockdown restrictions over the rest of the Easter weekend. In a two-minute audio broadcast from Windsor Castle, the queen said that by “keeping apart, we keep others safe” and that the coronavirus “will not overcome us.” Social distancing rules were observed during what is believed to be the queen’s first Easter message. The 93-year-old monarch delivered the address alone into a microphone from the castle’s White Drawing room while the sound engineer was in a nearby room. Last Sunday, in a rare special televised address to the nation, the queen evoked wartime memories to reassure people that “We will meet again.”
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WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials say the White House has approved the production of N95 masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a statement, $133 million will be used to increase the production capacity of masks to more than 39 million over the next 90 days. Officials say the names of the companies that have been chosen to make the masks will be made available in the coming days when the contract is awarded. The masks will be made under the Defense Production Act. President Donald Trump invoked the act, which gives the federal government broad authority to direct private companies to meet the needs of the national defense, to help provide medical supplies.
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PARIS — For the third day in a row, less patients entered France’s intensive care units for treatment for COVID-19, according to the nation’s medical chief. “A very high plateau seems to be forming,” said Jerome Salomon in his daily briefing on the status of the coronavirus. Despite that glimmer of hope, the number of deaths continued to mount. Since March 1, France counted 13,832 deaths in hospitals and homes for the aged.
Noon -- The number of confirmed positive cases in Pennsylvania jumped another 1,676 on Saturday, pushing the ongoing total to 21,655 in the state. In total, the state has now seen 494 confirmed COVID-19 patient deaths. The total number of confirmed cases in Jefferson County is still just one, but Indiana County jumped to 40 confirmed cases as of Saturday's report. Other adjoining counties include Clearfield, with nine confirmed cases, Clarion with 15 and Elk with two. In Pennsylvania, there are 98,498 patients who have tested negative to date.
"Now more than ever, as we continue to see COVID-19 cases and deaths rise in Pennsylvania, we need Pennsylvanians to take action," Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. "Those actions should be to stay calm, stay home and stay safe. If you must go out, please limit it to as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but other people as well. We need all Pennsylvanians to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and our healthcare workers and frontline responders."