[Getty/Kyodo]

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Monday that he will temporarily suspend all immigration into the United States in the latest in a series of measures to close the country's borders amid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Trump tweeted, without elaborating.

To slow the spread of the virus, the administration has barred the entry of foreign travelers coming from countries including China, the first country to be hit by the virus, and many European countries.

The State Department has also suspended routine visa services in U.S. embassies and consulates around the world.

Meanwhile, some southern U.S. states on Monday moved to reopen businesses as Trump pushes to get the shutdown-hit economy back in action.

The Trump administration last Thursday unveiled guidelines for states and localities to ease restrictions imposed on the public and businesses to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus. Some states, meanwhile, have faced protests against their stay-at-home orders in a sign of growing public frustration over the shutdown.

The southern states planning to restart their economies include Georgia, which will start by allowing gyms, barbers, bowling alleys and some other businesses to reopen their doors on Friday. In Tennessee, a large proportion of businesses will be allowed to reopen on May 1, with some slated to open next Monday.

South Carolina said Monday that it has restored public beach access and allowed some retailers that were previously closed to open, although under the condition that they follow strict social distancing measures.

The three states are all led by Republican governors. Their decisions come in line with the desire of the Republican president, who is facing an election in November, even as concerns linger among some public health experts that quickly restarting economic activities could lead to a resurgence of the virus.

The United States has the world's highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, exceeding 780,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The death toll has reached over 42,000.

Trump said last week that the United States has passed its peak in new coronavirus