huffpost--2020-03-12--Coronavirus Live Updates: Read The Latest About The COVID-19 Outbreak

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COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11.
The virus has killed more than 16,000 people worldwide and continues to spread at a rapid pace. Efforts to curb the outbreak have led to the global disruption of daily life and the economy, as schools and workplaces shutter in hopes of slowing transmission.
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HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and the measures being taken to flatten the curve of transmission.
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below. (To see the latest updates, you may need to refresh the page. All times are Eastern.)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who leads the state with the most COVID-19 cases in the U.S., issued an urgent plea at his daily press conference, warning that the rate of growth for cases continues to increase and will peak in “14 to 20 days,” making it essential that the state strengthen its hospital capacity and obtain much-needed medical supplies.
“We’re not slowing it, and it’s accelerating on its own,” Cuomo said, explaining that experts describe it not as a “freight train” but a “bullet train.”
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“They say ‘flatten the curve, flatten the curve.’ We’re not flattening the curve,” he added. “We have exhausted every option available to us.”
In addition to shutting down nonessential businesses and greatly increasing testing, the state is retrofitting facilities such as New York City’s Javits Center to use them as extra hospitals, recruiting more medical staff and using hotels and empty college dorms for extra beds.
Cuomo estimated the state will need an additional 140,000 hospital beds and 30,000 ventilators. Warning that the state could not do enough on its own to stem the spread of the virus, the governor did not mince words in criticizing the federal government’s response.
“Where are they? Where are the ventilators?” Cuomo said, after calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to release a federal stockpile of ventilators.
Cuomo also blasted the Federal Emergency Management Agency for sending the state only 400 ventilators.
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“You pick the 2,600 people who are going to die because you only sent 400 ventilators!” he said, practically yelling.
The governor called on the federal government to encourage states to collaborate, as each state will reach its peak in cases at different times and will require the same resources. He called New York “the canary in the coal mine.”
“I will take personal responsibility for transporting the ventilators,” he said. “I’ll send ventilators, I’ll send health care workers, our professionals ... Let’s learn from each other and help each other.”
Without directly mentioning Trump, Cuomo referred to the president’s suggestion Monday that the economy could reopen sooner than expected.
Although he acknowledged the need to consider the economy, Cuomo said it’s important to “focus on the looming crisis” of the growth in COVID-19 cases and ensuing hospital shortages.
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“We are not putting a dollar value on human lives. First order of business: Save people’s lives,” Cuomo said, reiterating that there can be an “economic startup strategy that is consistent with a public health strategy.”
On Monday, Cuomo had suggested allowing young people to return to work sooner and testing people who have recovered to ensure they’re no longer carriers of the virus.
— Marina Fang
India To Go Under Complete Lockdown At Midnight — 3/24/20, 11:00 a.m. ET
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the entire country would be placed under a full lockdown starting at midnight for 21 days, insisting that this was the only way to tackle the highly infectious disease. As he explained the concept of exponential transmission through data, Modi said India would pay a high price if people didn’t follow social distancing measures.
However, Modi did not announce any economic relief package, raising concerns about how people with low incomes will survive if they are unable to work for 21 days. News reports have said that poor migrant laborers who have been trying to reach their homes in the midst of the lockdown have been harassed and beaten up by the police. The prime minister also did not clearly outline how Indians could access food, medicine and other essential goods.
Many parts of India have already been under a strict lockdown as the number of COVID-19 patients has risen to 519 across the country. Ten people have died so far.
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— Sharanya Hrishikesh
The International Olympic Committee and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed to delay the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo until the summer of 2021 at latest, Abe told reporters after speaking with IOC President Thomas Bach. It’s the latest global event to be upended by the pandemic. Read more here.
— Marina Fang
An Arizona man has died after consuming a toxic, non-medicinal version of chloroquine, an active ingredient in drugs touted last week by President Donald Trump as a potential “game changer” for treating COVID-19, which also appears in a product used to clean fish tanks.
His wife, who had been in critical condition but is now recovering after taking the substance, told NBC News that the couple decided to self-medicate with chloroquine phosphate, an aquarium cleaning product they had in their home. During a press conference last week, Trump referred to two anti-malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, as a possible COVID-19 remedy.
As HuffPost’s Dominique Mosbergen reports: “The product they consumed contained the same active ingredient as the two anti-malaria drugs Trump referred to — but unlike the medicine taken by humans, the product they ingested is used to get rid of algae and a parasite that causes a condition known as white spot disease in fish.”
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“Be careful and call your doctor,” the woman, who wished to remain anonymous to protect her family’s privacy, told NBC News. “This is a heartache I’ll never get over.” Read more here.
— Marina Fang
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) said his state would hold primary elections as scheduled for April 7 despite pressure to postpone due to coronavirus concerns. He pointed out that there were also local races on the ballot for offices that would go unfilled for weeks or months, such as mayoral and county seats who would be crucial decision-makers as the crisis continues.
Evers encouraged voters to mail in ballots from the safety of their homes, saying that he and his wife had already sent theirs.
— Liza Hearon
HuffPost US
From today, people in the U.K. must stay at home, with few exceptions. Tens of thousands of non-essential shops are to close. Other premises being shuttered are libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship. Hotels and campsites will now join pubs, cafes and restaurants in being closed to slow the disease’s spread.
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And while parks will remain open for exercise, all social events including weddings and baptisms will be stopped. Funerals, however, can continue.
— James Martin
Chinese authorities announced Tuesday they would end a two-month lockdown of most of the virus-hit Hubei province at midnight, The Associated Press reported.
People with a clean bill of health will be allowed to leave, the provincial government said. The city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started in late December, will remain locked down until April 8.
China barred people from leaving or entering Wuhan starting Jan. 23 in a surprise middle-of-the-night announcement and expanded it to most of the province in succeeding days. Train service and flights were canceled and checkpoints set up on roads into the central province.
The drastic steps came as a new coronavirus began spreading to the rest of China and overseas during the Lunar New Year holiday, when many Chinese travel. The virus raged for weeks in Wuhan; however, the outbreak has gradually been brought under control there, and Hubei has seen almost no new infections for more than a week.
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— James Martin
The director of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security criticized President Donald Trump and his allies in a lengthy Twitter thread on Monday for wanting to ease economic and social restrictions meant to ease the spread of coronavirus.
“In last 24 hrs there’ve been prominent US voices calling for a stop to social distancing, citing rationale that they’re worse than impact of COVID itself,” Tom Inglesby tweeted. “These big social distancing measures take time to work. … To drop all these measures now would be to accept that COVID pts will get sick in extraordinary numbers all over the country, far beyond what the US health care system could bear.”
In last 24 hrs there've been prominent US voices calling for a stop to social distancing, citing rationale that they're worse than impact of COVID itself. It’s worth looking very closely at that claim, where we are in US COVID epidemic and what happens if we stop. 1/x — Tom Inglesby (@T_Inglesby) March 23, 2020
The remarks came hours after the White House’s daily coronavirus briefing, in which Trump claimed that the U.S. will see more deaths by keeping the restrictions in place than by COVID-19 itself.
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― Sanjana Karanth
President Donald Trump’s insistence on downplaying the coronavirus risks reached dangerous levels on Monday as he scoffed at medical advice and proposed opening up the economy despite skyrocketing case numbers.
There are “certain hot spots like New York,” and the federal government has to work on those spots, “but at the same time, at a certain point, we have to get open, and we have to get moving,” Trump said. He added that “we can do two things at one time” before again bringing up flu deaths and motor vehicle fatalities.
“We have a very active flu season, more active than most. It’s looking like it’s heading to 50,000 or more deaths ― deaths, not cases. Fifty-thousand deaths ― which is, that’s a lot,” he said. “And you look at automobile accidents, which are far greater than any numbers we’re talking about. That doesn’t mean we’re going to tell everybody no more driving of cars. So we have to do things to get our country open.”
As reporters pushed the president on why he would open up businesses when the country is seeing COVID-19 deaths occur at a faster rate, Trump said that more people would die from economic and social restrictions than from allowing the virus to spread.
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“You have suicides over things like this, when you have terrible economies,” he said, adding that “the cure has been very tough.”
― Sanjana Karanth
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced Monday a statewide stay-at-home order, similar to protocols adopted in California and other states. Residents are advised to only leave home to work if their jobs are deemed “essential.” People can also leave their homes to attend medical appointments or run crucial errands like grocery shopping or visiting a pharmacy. They can also spend time outdoors, so long as they practice safe social distancing and stay six feet away from others while doing so.
Washington recorded the first U.S. coronavirus case in January, and now has more than 2,000 people who have tested positive. “This order is enforceable by law, but the legal penalties are not what should convince people to follow these orders,” Inslee tweeted. “The real penalty may be the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. There are 110 Washington families who can tell you what the pain of that loss feels like.”
—Mollie Reilly
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Monday that he has no plans to issue a shelter-in-place order for his state, saying it is “not advisable.”
Such an order, which several other states have enacted versions of, “would be a very blunt instrument,” he said. “You simply cannot lock down our society indefinitely with no end in sight.”
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Viral videos have shown spring breakers dismissing coronavirus concerns and crowding Florida’s beaches.
“It’s also not clear to me that doing a massive shutdown of the entire state would even work,” DeSantis said Monday.
However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has said that a “dramatic” reduction in activity is necessary to curb the spread of the virus, and he hasn’t ruled out a nationwide lockdown.
“We need to be very serious about ― for a while, life is not going to be the way it used to be in the United States,” Fauci said Sunday on CNN. “We have to just accept that if we want to do what’s best for the American public.”
— Lydia O’Connor
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that from this evening, Britons will only be allowed to leave their homes for very limited purposes, including shopping for basic necessities, one form of exercise a day, medical need and traveling to work only when absolutely necessary.
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To further curb the spread of the virus, Johnson ordered the closure of all shops selling nonessential goods, including clothing and electronic stores, as well as libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship.
All gatherings of more than two people in public, excluding people you live with, will be banned. In a televised address to the nation, Johnson said police will issue fines and break up gatherings of those who flout the rules.
— James Martin
A member of the International Olympic Committee said Monday the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dick Pound, a longtime IOC member, told USA Today the summer games will be pushed back, likely to 2021. An official announcement is expected sometime in the next four weeks, as the committee is still hammering out details on how a postponement will work.
Pound’s comments came amid growing calls for the IOC to cancel or postpone the games.
— Mollie Reilly
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation on new measures to tackle coronavirus in a statement from Downing Street at 8:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET).
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The address comes as the British government said it was willing to take “more action” if needed to stop coronavirus from spreading amid reports that Britons were ignoring calls for social distancing. A further 54 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the U.K., bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in the country to 335, it was announced today.
The government has also urged Britons traveling abroad to return to the U.K. as soon as possible “while they still can.”
— James Martin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a clear message to Canadians who continue to gather in groups and appear to think they are “invincible” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You’re not. Enough is enough. Go home and stay home,” Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa Monday, noting images that have surfaced over the weekend of Canadians egregiously flouting demands to practice social distancing.
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He announced Canada will spend $192 million on a “long-term solution,” developing and producing a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus. He also announced a national ad campaign — featuring figures Canadians “know and trust” — to promote social-distancing measures.
“Not having heard this message won’t be an excuse,” he said. “We’re reaching everyone.”
— Andree Lau
The country currently at the epicenter of the pandemic faces a critical moment this week that could prove to be a global turning point in stemming coronavirus.
Italy has recorded more than 53,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,800 deaths, but health leaders have acknowledged the country had now exhausted all the possible ways it could to limit personal and professional contact.
However, Franco Locatelli, president of Italy’s Higher Health Council, suggested this week will be “absolutely crucial” in mitigating the spread of the virus and that he expected to see the number of coronavirus infections start to fall.
“In the middle of the week we will be more or less 14 days after the adoption of the most stringent measures,” Locatelli said on Monday morning. “We expect the results to become evident, with a clear tendency to reduce new infections and people who lose their lives.”
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— James Martin
The first people have begun arriving at an emergency field hospital set up in Madrid to help local hospitals overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. The field hospital — in the IFEMA conference centre — can take over 100 patients with moderate virus complications. Approximately 1,000 beds will be prepared in the next 48 hours and capacity is estimated at 5,500 patients.
Beds for COVID-19 patients are placed at IFEMA convention center in Madrid. Comunidad de Madrid via AP
In Madrid, struggling with Spain’s heaviest virus load, the municipal funeral home announced it would stop collecting bodies from Tuesday due to a shortage of equipment. Private funeral homes continue to operate in the capital.
— James Martin
During his daily COVID-19 update, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced testing for the virus has increased from about 1,000 to 16,000 tests per day.
While the number of confirmed cases continues to increase, in part because of the increased availability of tests, Cuomo was cautiously optimistic.
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“I see it as a wave that will break at one point, and the question is when?” he said.
About 75,000 New York residents have been tested, including 16,000 since Sunday. Nationally, New York has conducted 25% of the tests so far.
Cuomo also announced an executive order mandating hospitals to increase their capacity by 50%, and to double if possible. He is also considering other measures, such as granting clemency to some older inmates, as reports of COVID-19 outbreaks in state prisons start to rise.
The governor criticized President Donald Trump’s response, which has involved encouraging the private sector to produce more supplies, as insufficient, saying it can’t be “ad-hoc.”
“It can’t just be: ‘Hey, who wants to help, let me know!’ We need to know who is going to produce what and when,” Cuomo said. “This is a national emergency.”
He went on to thank Trump for “working quickly” to help the state set up emergency hospitals, and to allow federal emergency funding, including waiving the requirement that the state pays for 25% of it.
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Cuomo also indirectly alluded to Trump when arguing that it’s important to balance public health response with “a smart economic response.”
“I think there is a dot where those two lines cross,” Cuomo said, announcing he has convened experts to begin to consider how “to restart the economic engine,” which could include younger and healthier people going back to work sooner, and testing people to see if they are immune.
New York now has 20,875 positive cases, including 5,707 new cases since Sunday. About 13%, or 2,635 people, are hospitalized, a rate which Cuomo says has gone down from the last few days. Six hundred and twenty-one people are in intensive care.
— Marina Fang
German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tests Negative For Coronavirus — 3/23/20, 11:42 a.m. ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has tested negative for the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported. German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said Sunday that Merkel had decided to self-quarantine after coming in contact with a doctor who later tested positive.
Germany has 27,289 confirmed cases and 115 deaths so far, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University, making it one of the harder hit countries in the world, behind China, Italy, the U.S. and Spain.
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— Ryan Grenoble
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said on Monday morning that her husband, John, had tested positive for the coronavirus. What initially seemed like “just a cold” progressed into a temperature and bad cough, she said in a statement, adding that when he started coughing up blood, he sought medical help.
The senator said John started feeling sick while she was in Minnesota and he was in Washington, D.C. The two have been in different places for the last two weeks. As such, Klobuchar said she won’t seek out a test based on the advice of her doctor.
“While I cannot see him and he is of course cut off from all visitors, our daughter Abigail and I are constantly calling and texting and emailing,” she said. “We love him very much and pray for his recovery. He is exhausted and sick but a very strong and resilient person.”
— Ryan Grenoble
The Indian government announced on Monday that no domestic passenger flight will operate in the country starting Wednesday. International flights have already been banned for a week, and the Indian Railways, often described as the country’s lifeline, have also stopped all train services until March 31. Many states have also announced strict measures to limit movement within and between their borders. The central government has asked states to strictly enforce the lockdown and take legal action against violations. As of Monday, India has 415 active cases of COVID-19, and eight people have died so far.
— Sharanya Hrishikesh
Rep. Ben McAdams — freshman Democrat lawmaker from Utah — said he has been hospitalized after suffering “severe shortness of breath” days after his coronavirus diagnosis. He said in a Sunday statement that he was feeling better and would be discharged when doctors determine it appropriate to do so.
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“My experience has shown me how critical it is to follow the advice of the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the Utah Department of Health in order to stop the spread of this virus,” he said.
— Liza Hearon
HPES March 23 HuffPost US
In Spain, El HuffPost reports (in Spanish) that the government will extend a state of emergency until April 11 as some regions asked for even harsher confinement measures. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that “the worst is yet to come” as Spain’s death toll jumped to over 1,700, with more than 28,000 cases of infection.
However, testing is set to increase (link in Spanish) with the government announcing it had acquired more than 640,000 testing devices, and said that number could quickly reach a million. Six million more devices could also be on the way, Sanchez said.
— James Martin
HuffPost US
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HuffPost Italy reports (in Italian) on a growing row over the health and safety of factory workers.
The Italian government banned all internal travel in the country on Sunday and issued an order freezing all business activity deemed non-essential in an effort to keep more people at home and off the streets. However, union leaders accused the government of not going far enough with the closure order, noting that dozens of sectors had won exemptions. They threatened to call a general strike if they thought too many workers were exposed to health risks.
Italy has registered more deaths than any other country in the world, while the number of confirmed cases is second only to China, with the tally rising by 5,560 to 59,138 on Sunday, the Civil Protection Agency said.
— James Martin
HuffPost US
The Tokyo Olympics appear certain to be postponed until next year due to the coronavirus, as Canada and Australia said they were looking ahead to a 2021 Games.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his country’s parliament Monday a postponement of the games would be unavoidable if they cannot be held in a complete way because of the coronavirus impact.
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Abe was commenting on the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s plan to examine the situation over the next few weeks and make a decision, which could include a postponement. HuffPost Japan has Abe’s statement in full (in Japanese).
—James Martin
Harvey Weinstein Tests Positive For Coronavirus — 03/23/20, 2:09 a.m.
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film mogul who is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Michael Powers, the head of New York state’s corrections officers union, confirmed Weinstein’s diagnosis to Reuters on Sunday.
Powers said Weinstein, 68, had been placed in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison near Buffalo, New York. Several staff members have also been quarantined, Powers said.
— Dominique Mosbergen
Australia Tells Athletes To Prepare For Postponed Olympics — 3/23/20, 1:30 a.m. ET
Australia’s Olympic Committee told athletes they should prepare for this year’s Summer Games to be postponed, saying it was now clear the event wouldn’t take place in Tokyo in July as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the globe.
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“The AOC believes our athletes now need to prioritize their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families,” the committee said in a statement, noting athletes should prepare for Games in “the northern summer of 2021.”
The move follows a similar announcement by Canada, which said Sunday it would refuse to send any athletes to Japan if the event was not postponed.
“It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July. Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them,” Ian Chesterman, Australia’s chef de mission for Tokyo, said in a statement. “The timing will allow athletes from around the world to properly prepare with the hope the coronavirus crisis will be under control.”
— Nick Visser
Singapore Airlines said Monday that it will slash capacity by 96% and ground nearly its entire fleet at least until the end of April as nations worldwide shutter their borders amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
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Describing the COVID-19 outbreak as “the greatest challenge” it’s faced in its history, the airline said it was unclear when it could “begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted.”
Singapore Airlines is the latest in a string of major carriers to ground most flights in the face of the escalating crisis. Earlier, Emirates and Cathay Pacific announced plans to significantly cut capacity.
— Dominique Mosbergen
Canada Pulls Out Of 2020 Tokyo Olympics Due To Coronavirus Risks ― 3/22/20, 10:12 p.m. ET
Canada will refuse to send athletes to the Tokyo Olympic Games this year if the event is not postponed.
The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee released a statement Sunday on their decision to pull their athletes out of the games as currently scheduled. The committees also called on the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the World Health Organization to delay the games for one year.
“While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community,” the Canadian committees said.
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They stressed that the coronavirus pandemic “is far more significant than sport.”
“This is not solely about athlete health ― it is about public health,” the statement read. “With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community, for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.”
The Tokyo Games are currently set to begin on July 24.
― Sanjana Karanth
McDonald’s said it will temporarily close all of its restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Monday evening in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“This is not a decision we are taking lightly, but one made with the well-being and safety of our employees in mind as well as in the best interests of our customers,” the company said in a statement. “We will work with local community groups to responsibly distribute food and drink from our restaurants in the coming days.”
McDonald’s has reopened 95% of its restaurants in China, CEO Chris Kempczinski told CNBC on Friday.
― Sanjana Karanth
President Donald Trump said he hasn’t seen Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who said he tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, recently.
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“Gee, I think it was quite a while ago,” Trump said Sunday during a press briefing of his interactions with Paul.
A reporter also asked Trump about the five Republican senators now in isolation — Paul, as well as Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
“Romney’s in isolation? Gee, that’s too bad,” Trump replied. He said his response was not sarcastic.
— Nick Visser
Trump Says National Guard Will Be Activated In 3 States ― 3/22/20, 6:50 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump said National Guard troops are being activated to help New York, California and Washington state respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The federal government has deployed hundreds of tons of supplies from our national stockpiles to locations with the greatest need in order to assist in those areas,” Trump said during his White House briefing on the federal government’s response to the crisis.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover the cost for the National Guard deployment.
The supplies ― which Trump said will be delivered within 48 hours ― include gloves, medical beds, N95 masks and gowns. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will also provide these states additional support to build alternate care sites.
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New York, Washington state and California have so far been hit by coronavirus harder than other states. New York has the highest number of confirmed cases at 15,000, followed by Washington state at about 1,700 and California at about 1,500 cases.
― Sanjana Karanth
The 99th annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner will officially be postponed, delaying or potentially canceling an event that was prepared to bring some comedic relief to political media during a tense moment in the country.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association regrets to announce that it is unable to go ahead with its 2020 dinner on April 25,” the association said in a statement. “We will get back to you soon with our alternative date. Thanks for your support.”
The dinner, often nicknamed “nerd prom,” is considered a celebration of the First Amendment and of the journalists and correspondents who cover Washington. President Donald Trump has boycotted the event for the past three years despite every president before him since Calvin Coolidge attending it.
― Sanjana Karanth
Ohio And Louisiana Governors Issue Stay-At-Home Orders To Residents ― 3/22/20, 4 p.m. ET
Louisiana and Ohio both issued orders directing all residents to stay at home and limit time outside beyond essential needs.
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The orders from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) stress that staying at home is a stricter form of social distancing, and that if people need to go out, they must stay at least six feet away from others and not gather in groups. The orders also say residents should not go out to work unless their job is considered an essential service.
Edwards told KSLA-TV that authorities will not set up checkpoints to enforce the order, saying that “we are deep in trouble” if residents need enforcement in order to comply.
― Sanjana Karanth
Hawaii Senator Calls For Remote Voting Over Coronavirus Concerns ― 3/22/20, 3:49 p.m. ET
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) called for the Senate to begin allowing remote voting, after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced that he tested positive for COVID-19.
“The responsibility of the Senate is to remain operational. You are not protecting an institution by rendering it unable to function,” Schatz tweeted, just hours before the Senate gets ready to vote on a coronavirus relief bill. “Remote voting must be instituted immediately, so that the federal legislature can do its job, not just today, but for the duration of this crisis.”
Paul’s office said the Kentucky Republican is self-quarantining and “is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events.” Three GOP senators told CNN that Paul was in the gym on Sunday morning with colleagues and had sat near others during Senate lunches in recent days.
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Paul is the first senator known to have contracted the virus. Two members of the House said last week that they had tested positive, making them the first members of Congress known to be infected.
― Sanjana Karanth
The U.S. now has more than 31,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of more than 10,000 since Saturday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. At least 390 people across the country have died from COVID-19 and over 176 have recovered from it, the university reported.
― Hayley Miller
Rand Paul Becomes First Senator Known To Contract Coronavirus — 3/22/20, 2:05 p.m. ET
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to his office. He is the first senator known to have contracted the virus.“He is feeling fine and is in quarantine,” Paul’s office tweeted. “He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.”
Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
Two members of the House of Representatives — Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) — announced they had the virus last week, making them the first known members of Congress to test positive for it.
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— Hayley Miller
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to stick to government advice on social distancing and stay two meters away from others. At a daily news briefing, the prime minister warned the public that “fresh air” does not offer protection from the disease as he hinted that the U.K. could move to an enforced lockdown. Johnson said the government had taken “very draconian steps” in closing schools, pubs and shops — but he did not rule out going further.
His comments come after scores of people were seen socializing at parks and open spaces over the weekend, despite the government asking people to stay at home.
— Francesca Syrett
New York City is about 10 days away from widespread shortages on ventilators, masks and other supplies needed to treat patients with COVID-19, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. He warned that more people will die if President Donald Trump doesn’t step up his response to the pandemic.
“The truth is, and New Yorkers and all Americans deserve the blunt truth, it’s only getting worse,” de Blasio told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He suggested the number of confirmed cases is expected to surge in April and May.
“The president of the United States is from New York City and he will not lift a finger to help his hometown,” de Blasio added. “I can’t be blunt enough: If the president doesn’t act, people will die who could have lived otherwise.”
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― Hayley Miller
India announced that it would be locking down 75 districts across the country in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Only essential services will be allowed to operate in the affected districts, HuffPost India reported. Major cities including New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkota will be affected by the lockdown.
The government said all interstate buses, passenger trains and metro services will also be suspended across the country until March 31.
More than 340 people in India have been diagnosed with COVID-19 to date. Health experts have expressed concerns that India could “go the Italy way” if it doesn’t take drastic steps to contain the virus.
— Dominique Mosbergen
There are now more than 308,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus across the world, an increase of roughly 50% over the last four days, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. At least 13,000 people have died from COVID-19, and over 93,000 have recovered from it, the university reported.
— Hayley Miller
Australia Orders All Pubs And Restaurants To Close — 3/22/20, 7:30 a.m. ET
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed the closure of many “nonessential” businesses starting Monday as Australia dealt with a surge of COVID-19 cases over the weekend. The new shutdown rules come amid global outrage after Aussies and tourists packed many Sydney beaches on Friday, rubbing shoulders and breaking the 1.5-meter social distancing rule.
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“We’ve seen some irresponsible behavior from people who were told to quarantine and have not,” Morrison said in a press conference on Sunday. “And they have spread the virus. We now have to be absolutely rigid.”
Pubs, gyms and indoor sporting venues will shut down, while restaurants and cafes will be limited to takeaway orders only.
— Francesca Syrett
U.K. Public Urged To Avoid Their Mothers As The Country Celebrates Mothering Sunday — 3/22/20, 7 a.m. ET
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the public to avoid visiting their mothers as the country celebrates Mothering Sunday. He said that while “everyone’s strongest instinct” was to visit their mother on this day, the best single present they could give is to stay away and spare her the risk of becoming infected.
“If your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, or COVID-19. We cannot disguise or sugarcoat the threat,” he said.
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The warning comes as the government urged 1.5 million people categorized as “vulnerable” to not leave their homes and to self-isolate for three months in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus.
— Francesca Syrett
HuffPost Spain reports (in Spanish) that the government said late on Saturday “the worst is yet to come” after the national death toll surpassed 1,300 and the country reached close to 25,000 cases.
“We have yet to receive the impact of the strongest, most damaging wave, which will test our material and moral capacities to the limit, as well as our spirit as a society,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a news briefing.
The second-worst outbreak in Europe showed no sign of slowing as the death toll jumped by more than 300 from the previous day.
— Francesca Syrett
Vice President Mike Pence Tests Negative For Coronavirus — 03/22/20, 4:22 a.m. ET
Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, have tested negative for COVID-19, the vice president’s spokeswoman announced Saturday.
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Pence said earlier that he would be tested for the coronavirus after a member of his staff was diagnosed with the disease.
Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence. — Katie Miller (@VPPressSec) March 22, 2020
— Dominique Mosbergen
This Is What Life Is Like For Emergency Professionals On The Frontline Of The Outbreak — 3/21/20, 10:40 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump on Saturday accused medical professionals of thoughtlessly wasting the protective masks now in short supply, but those who work in emergency rooms have a very different story to tell.
HuffPost talked to doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians in California, New Jersey, Hawaii and Rhode Island about what it’s like fighting the pandemic. As they report for duty, the stock of personal protective equipment (PPE), which helps keep them and their patients safe and curbs the spread of the coronavirus, is running dangerously low.
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These professionals said they were being asked to reuse respiratory masks for multiple shifts, even though the masks are designed as one-time-use products. One of the busiest emergency departments in Los Angeles County suggested their nurses and doctors bring in bandanas and scarves in case they run out of the masks.
“The ER is considered a war zone right now,” said Heather, a nurse based in Los Angeles County.
— Carla H. Russo
The White House’s coronavirus task force could not provide a solid answer on Saturday about when health care workers across the country can expect to receive more protective masks, of which there is a nationwide shortage.
During a press conference, President Donald Trump appeared defensive about his response to the viral outbreak, baselessly blaming the previous administration for supply shortages and accusing health care workers of needlessly throwing away masks. He encouraged them to “sanitize” and reuse the masks instead.
Other officials also deflected repeated questions by reporters on when supplies would reach the health care workers who need them. Doctors and nurses across the U.S. are warning of dangerously low reserves of personal protective equipment and are being forced to reuse what they have now.
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— Carla H. Russo
For the last nine years, Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman have led live crowds in bars, theaters and public squares around the world in sing-alongs of popular songs, no talent required. With the world in social distancing mode during this pandemic, they set up a virtual sing-along.
More than 100,000 people from several countries joined them on Facebook Live, belting out “Stand By Me” and the “Friends” TV show theme song. “We picked songs about isolation and friendship,” said Goldman.
“It’s a very strange time for us, and anything we can do to bring each other together is great,” said Michelle Shaw, who joined in from Australia.
The next virtual sing-along is today (Saturday) at 3 p.m. ET.
— Andree Lau
Italy Sees Biggest Increase Of Daily Deaths — 3/21/20, 1:40 p.m. ET
The coronavirus death toll in Italy has surged by 793 since yesterday, reaching a total of 4,825, officials confirmed. This is an increase of 19.6%, the largest daily rise since the outbreak emerged a month ago. The northern region of Lombardy alone saw 546 deaths in 24 hours.
Of those originally infected nationwide, 6,072 had fully recovered on Saturday, compared to 5,129 the day before.
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HuffPost Italy reports (in Italian) that the average age of the deceased is around 80.
— Francesca Syrett
The country has 19,343 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 195,000 people have completed testing, according to the White House. (“Completed testing” means they were tested and have received their results.)
Following confirmation that a member of his staff is among those who tested positive for the coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence said at a press conference that he and his wife will be tested soon. The staffer is doing well, Pence added, and has not been in the White House since Monday.
President Donald Trump appeared to downplay the urgent need for masks, as hospitals say they are running low on supplies of personal protective equipment. He suggested that N95 masks, which are meant to be used once and thrown away, could be cleaned and used multiple times.
While White House officials have assured the public that they are working on providing masks to health care professionals, the timeline on doing so is not clear.
“Many doctors — and I’ve read many, many doctors — can’t believe the great job that we’ve done,” Trump said.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, offered a word of encouragement at the press conference: “I can tell you for sure” that “we are clearly having an effect” with social distancing efforts, although that effect cannot yet be quantified.
— Sara Boboltz
New York State Estimates Millions Will Get Virus — 3/21/20, 12:10 p.m. ET
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said that he expects between 40% and 80% of the state’s population to eventually get the coronavirus, with the big question being whether the cases will be staggered enough so the health system is not overwhelmed.
Officials are scaling up hospital capacity throughout the state, which is adding 6,000 additional ventilators to its operations, though it needs about 24,000 more, according to the governor. The state is planning to distribute 1 million N95 masks to New York City alone and is evaluating sites for building four new field hospitals to address the expected shortage of ICU beds, Cuomo said.
He also called on mental health professionals in the state who would be willing to be a part of a volunteer network of therapists to help people cope.
“I’d ask you to seriously consider this,” Cuomo said. “Many people are doing extraordinary things during this public health crisis.”
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Asked whether he himself had been tested, Cuomo said he had not because he did not believe he’d been exposed and did not want “to waste a test.”
— Sara Boboltz
USA Track Adds To Call To Push Olympics To 2021 — 3/21/20, 11:20 a.m. ET
In a letter to the USA Olympics and Paralympics Committee dated Friday, USA Track and Field formally requested the Tokyo Summer Olympics be rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The sport’s American governing body cited the disruptions the virus has caused and the stress it has added to athletes’ lives — echoing a similar letter sent by USA Swimming.
“Unfortunately, while our world-class athletes are willing to push themselves to their athletic limits in pursuit of Olympic success, the likelihood that they will be able to properly train in a safe and adequate environment, and replicate the excellence we have all come to expect, does not appear likely in the midst of this global crisis,” CEO Max Seigel said.
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The Olympics are currently set to begin Friday, July 24, and continue into August.
—Sara Boboltz
The world’s longest undefended border is no longer open for routine, casual traffic between Canada and the United States.
The ban on nonessential cross-border travel went into effect at midnight ET and will stay in place for at least 30 days as both countries scramble to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19.
The ban applies to people wanting to cross the border for tourism or purely recreational purposes, like shopping.
It is not supposed to impede trade or essential travel, but what constitutes essential is not entirely clear and will doubtless lead to some confusion at border crossings.
— Francesca Syrett
U.K. officials urged consumers to act responsibly when shopping and avoid panic buying in an effort to ensure products are available for health workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak.
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Scenes of empty shelves and huge queues outside of supermarkets have dominated coverage of COVID-19 across the U.K., with restrictions placed on certain items like toilet paper. “Be responsible when you shop and think of others. Buying more than you need means others may be left without and it is making life harder for frontline workers,” said George Eustice, secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at a press conference from Downing Street on Saturday.
It was also revealed food manufacturing in the UK is up by 50% to meet the demand.
— Francesca Syrett
Spain’s death toll from the coronavirus pandemic soared on Saturday to 1,326, up from 1,002 on Friday, according to the national Health Ministry’s latest data.
The number of registered cases in the country rose by nearly 5,000 in 24 hours to 24,926 on Saturday.
In addition, HuffPost Spain reports (in Spanish) that there are 1,612 patients in the ICU, 471 more than yesterday, while a total of 2,125 patients in the country have recovered.
— Francesca Syrett
Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton says he has been self-isolating for more than a week after meeting people who later tested positive for the new coronavirus. Hamilton was at a charity event in London on March 4 also attended by actor Idris Elba and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of the Canadian prime minister. Both were later found to have the virus.
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In a message on social media, Hamilton says he’s shown “zero symptoms” but has been isolating himself from other people ever since March 13, when the Australian Grand Prix was called off. Hamilton said that “I did speak to my doctor and double checked if I needed to take a test but, the truth is there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do.”
— Associated Press
All pubs, theaters, gyms and restaurants have now closed their doors indefinitely as tougher social distancing measures set in across the U.K. to tackle COVID-19.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the dramatic closing down of the hospitality and entertainment sectors at a news conference on Friday, amid fears of overwhelming Britain’s National Health Service.
While he acknowledged the ban went against the “freedom-loving instincts” of the British people, he said it was essential to achieve the 75% reduction in “unnecessary” social contacts required to reduce the rate of infection.
A total of 3,983 people have now officially tested positive for coronavirus in the U.K., and 177 people have died after contracting the virus.
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— Francesca Syrett
Thousands in Sydney blatantly ignored the Australian government’s social distancing advice on Friday, flocking to the city’s beaches in large groups.
Social media images showed people sitting very close together despite medical officials and Prime Minister Scott Morrison constantly warning Australians to stay 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) apart to help mitigate the rise of COVID-19 cases.
The sight of Aussies and tourists defying the strict advice on social distancing jolted fury from many online, with some comparing the Sydney images to empty pictures of New York City and Los Angeles, which are in lockdown.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt blasted those who were not complying with the strict rules.
“What happened in Bondi is unacceptable. The local council must step in,” he told reporters at a press conference Saturday.
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“If you are breaking those rules, you’re not just putting your selves at risk but other Australians. We make no apologies for making tough restrictions.”
― Carly Williams
Intelligence agencies issued classified warnings in January and February about the spread of coronavirus and its potential to become a global pandemic, reported The Washington Post, citing unnamed U.S. officials familiar with the agency reporting.
Intelligence agencies “have been warning on this since January,” a U.S. official told the Post of the intelligence reporting, which was sent to Trump administration officials as well as members of Congress. “Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were — they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it.”
Meanwhile, Trump was publicly downplaying the virus’ threat, tweeting in late February: “Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA... Stock Market starting to look very good to me!” As of Friday, more than 200 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S., with the rapidly increasing number of cases surpassing 15,000 across all 50 states.
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— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Pence Staffer Tests Positive For Coronavirus — 3/20/20 7:43 p.m. ET
A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s office has tested positive for the coronavirus, a statement from his office said. “Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual,” Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller said. “Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines.”
— Lydia O’Connor
Andy Cohen, producer and host of Bravo TV’s “Watch What Happens Live,” announced on Instagram that he tested positive for COVID-19.
“After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus,” Cohen said, adding he was “putting a pin in” working on his show for now so he could “focus on getting better.”
Cohen is the latest celebrity to test positive for COVID-19 after actors Tom Hanks and Idris Elba did so earlier this month.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a statewide stay-at-home order that is expected to go into effect Saturday evening and last until April 7. The state joins New York and California in requiring residents to stay home as much as possible, except for essential travel.
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“We know this will be hard, and we’re looking for every tool we have to get through this crisis,” Pritzker said.
The restrictions do not prevent residents from going to the grocery store, pharmacy or gas station, and they can still go for walks. Public schools throughout the state have already been shut down ― as they have across nearly all 50 states ― and will remain closed through April 7, as well.
— Sara Boboltz
USA Swimming Asks To Push Tokyo Olympics To 2021 — 3/20/20, 3:30 p.m. ET
USA Swimming sent a letter to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee formally requesting the Tokyo Summer Olympics be postponed until next year due to the coronavirus outbreak and related disruptions.
“As the global pandemic has grown, we have watched our athletes’ worlds be turned upside down and watched them struggle to find ways to continue to prepare and train — many for the biggest competitive opportunity of their lives,” read the letter, signed by USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey.
USA Swimming respectfully requests that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. pic.twitter.com/q5bhUwi05q — USA Swimming (@USASwimming) March 20, 2020
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Hinchey asked the committee to “appropriately recognize the toll” the pandemic is taking on “athletic preparations” worldwide, arguing that going forward “calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all.”
— Sara Boboltz
After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered all nonessential businesses to close by Sunday night and all nonessential workers to stay at home, there was some confusion about what kinds of businesses would be deemed “essential.” Cuomo named groceries, banks, utility companies, pharmacies, health care providers and media outlets as some examples.
Now, the New York State Liquor Store Association has clarified that liquor stores can remain open.
― Marina Fang
The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court held a regularly scheduled conference Friday morning — with some participating by phone, a spokeswoman for the Court said. All nine justices are healthy, and they are following public health guidelines, such as “forgoing their traditional handshake” during meetings.
On Monday morning, the court will issue previously scheduled orders and potentially some rulings. However, the justices will not take the bench. Everything will be posted directly on the court’s website.
Since last week the court building has been closed to visitors while working on “expanding remote working capabilities to reduce the number of employees in the Building.” It also postponed oral arguments for at least the rest of the month and extended filing deadlines for most cases.
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All but three of the justices are over the age of 65, a key factor that health experts have said makes individuals at higher risk of getting very sick if they contract COVID-19.
― Marina Fang
The death toll in Italy has leapt by 627 to 4,032, an increase of 18.4% — by far the largest daily rise in absolute terms since coronavirus emerged a month ago. On Thursday, Italy overtook China as the country to register the most deaths from the highly contagious virus. Until Friday, Italy had never recorded more than 475 deaths in a single day, while China, where the contagion has slowed sharply, has never reported more than 150. However, HuffPost Italy reports (in Italian) that of those originally infected nationwide, 5,129 had fully recovered on Friday compared to 4,440 the day before.
— James Martin
Pubs have been ordered to close from midnight tonight, as the U.K. government escalates measures to fight coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously urged people to “avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues” in order to try and slow the spread of the virus. But despite the plea, many Londoners were still gathering in pubs in some parts of the capital this week. The government also announced it would step in to pay 80% of the wages of workers to encourage employers not to layoff staff.
— James Martin
President Donald Trump said Friday that the southern border with Mexico will be be closed to nonessential traffic — restrictions similar to those previously implemented on the country’s northern border with Canada. The new rules “will not impede lawful trade and commerce,” including business travel, Trump said.
The Trump administration also said it will immediately begin turning back migrants on the southern border who attempt to cross between official ports of entry. They pinned the decision on efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus in detention facilities, arguing that the virus could harm Border Patrol agents. There are currently fewer than 100 reported coronavirus cases in Mexico, whereas U.S. cases have blossomed into the thousands.
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— Sara Boboltz
Musical Tribute From Spanish Medics Brings Hope — 3/20/20, 12:25 p.m. ET
Medics on the frontline of the pandemic at a leading hospital in Madrid have taken time out to perform a musical tribute to quarantined Spaniards across the country. Each night, citizens in Spain have been taking to their balconies to applaud health workers in a stirring show of solidarity. In the video, the medics from the Hospital de La Paz tell Spaniards “they will resist.”
HuffPost Spain
With nearly 20,000 cases reported as of Friday, Spain overtook Iran to become the world’s third-hardest-hit country by the pandemic after China and Italy. The Madrid region accounts for 628 deaths and 7,165 cases. Spanish authorities said on Friday they would turn a Madrid conference center into a giant makeshift military hospital for thousands of coronavirus patients.
— James Martin
New York Orders Statewide Lockdown — 3/20/20, 11:30 a.m. ET
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) outlined strict new rules on Friday that mandate all nonessential workers stay home across the state, with civil penalties for businesses that do not comply.
“These provisions will be enforced. These are not helpful hints if you want to be a good citizen,” Cuomo said. He refused to describe Friday’s announcement as a “shelter-in-place” order. Food delivery is still considered an essential service alongside grocery stores and pharmacies.
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“Why am I increasing the mandates? Because the numbers are increasing,” the governor said of cases in the state, which have topped 7,000. Read more from HuffPost’s Marina Fang.
— Sara Boboltz
Individuals and businesses filing tax returns will now have until July 15 to submit them, instead of the regular April 15 deadline, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says.
— Marina Fang
All barber shops, hair salons, nail salons, tattoo parlors and “related personal care services” in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania must close by Saturday at 8 p.m., “as these services cannot be provided while maintaining social distance,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced.
#BREAKING: NY, CT, NJ, and PA will temporarily close all barber shops, nail & hair salons, tattoo shops, & similar services in our four states effective tomorrow at 8PM.
These temporary closures are not going to be easy, but they are necessary to protect the public health. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 20, 2020
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The governors of the four states have been working together to curb the spread of the virus across the region by implementing uniform policies to encourage residents to stay home.
At 8 p.m. Thursday, shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in the four states were ordered to close. Earlier this week, movie theaters, gyms and casinos also shuttered, and restaurants and bars are now limited to serving takeout and delivery orders.
— Marina Fang
HuffPost US
The U.K. government has signaled a major ramping up of its preparedness efforts by calling on more than 65,000 retired doctors and nurses to return to work.
Other retired emergency service workers could also be called on to return to their former jobs. London mayor Sadiq Khan announced that recently retired police officers were being ordered to carry out back-office roles. Recently retired firefighters under 70 could also be asked to help, HuffPost UK reported.
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— James Martin
HuffPost US
Canada’s chief public health officer has warned it won’t be known for two to three weeks if country-wide social distancing has curbed the spread of COVID-19.
Dr. Theresa Tam said incoming health data was “like watching the lights coming from a star.”
“We don’t just need to flatten the curve, we need to plank it,” Dr. Theresa Tam said.
— James Martin
California Governor Announces Statewide Order To Stay Home — 3/19/20, 9:58 p.m. ET
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced a statewide order requiring all 40 million Californians to shelter in place and stay at home except for essential work and errands.
“Home isolation is not my preferred choice, I know it is not yours, but it is a necessary one,” Newsom said Thursday evening. Under the policy, residents can leave their homes to run important errands like grocery shopping or going to the pharmacy. They can also still go for walks outside as long as they practice safe social distancing. Employees of industries considered essential during the pandemic can still leave the house to work.
The order comes after many of California’s major metropolitan areas issued similar policies earlier this week due to the coronavirus pandemic. California is the first state in the U.S. under such an order.
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— Sanjana Karanth
Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday night signed legislation that would expedite the licensure procedures for out-of-state medical professionals applying for medical licenses to expand the medical workforce in the state. The legislation also expands residents’ access to telemedical services in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. At least 742 people in New Jersey have tested positive for the virus, which includes nine deaths.
— Carla H. Russo
Los Angeles County officials ordered all nonessential retail businesses, shopping centers and playgrounds to close and banned indoor gatherings of more than 10 people in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“We know this will have an impact on the social fabric of our communities,” County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times. “We still encourage individuals to stay connected to their community and their loved ones in creative ways, and to spend much-needed time outdoors.”
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Mayor Eric Garcetti also issued a “stay at home order” that he said was “not a request.”
“The only time you should leave your home is for essential needs,” he said.
— Nick Visser
The United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth urged citizens to respect the vital role individuals must play as the coronavirus outbreak spreads around the globe, saying the Royal Family stands “ready to play our part” to help shepherd the country through the crisis.
“We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them,” the queen wrote on Thursday. “At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.”
She went on to specifically praise the work of scientists, medical professionals, and emergency and public sector workers, but said that everybody would need to pull together in the “coming days, weeks and months.”
“Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe,” she said. “I am certain we are up to that challenge.”
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— Nick Visser
Two members of the Los Angeles Lakers and one player from the Boston Celtics have tested positive for COVID-19.
Fourteen Lakers players were tested on Wednesday, and results on Thursday confirmed two cases, sources told the Los Angeles Times and The Athletic. The team will likely now test its remaining players, according to The Athletic.
The Celtics released a statement Thursday saying that the player who tested positive is not showing symptoms and will continue self-isolating while being monitored by team medical staff. While the Lakers players were not identified on Thursday, point guard Marcus Smart confirmed that he’s the Celtic who tested positive.
“The team is awaiting further testing results and will communicate them as appropriate,” the Celtics said.
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The results from the Los Angeles and Boston teams follow the Philadelphia 76ers’ news earlier Thursday that three of its players tested positive for COVID-19. Several NBA teams have tested their players since the league announced it was suspending the 2019-2020 season.
― Sanjana Karanth
California Governor Projects Over Half The State, 25 Million People, Could Get Coronavirus — 3/19/20, 6:58 pm ET In a letter to President Donald Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a U.S. Navy hospital ship be brought into port in Los Angeles to “help decompress our current healthcare delivery system.” Newsom noted that in some parts of the state, the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases is doubling every four days. “We project that roughly 56% of our population — 25.5 million people — will be infected with the virus over an eight week period,” the Democratic governor wrote. The governor’s spokesperson later clarified that this projection did not include “mitigation efforts,” which the state is already taking, such as establishing strict “shelter-in-place” policies in several major counties, including across the San Francisco Bay Area. California is among the states with the highest numbers of reported COVID-19 cases. Nearly 700 Californians have been confirmed to have the disease and more than a dozen have died, as of Thursday. — Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Three Members Of The Philadelphia 76ers Test Positive For COVID-19 ― 3/19/20, 6:49 p.m. ET Three members of the Philadelphia 76ers have tested positive for COVID-19. “The Philadelphia 76ers, in consultation with medical experts and the NBA, received the recommendation that certain individuals from the organization, including players, coaches and specific basketball operations support staff, be tested for COVID-19. The tests were secured and processed privately,” the Sixers said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “Three individuals have received positive test results for COVID-19. All other test results are currently negative.” The individuals, whom the Sixers declined to name, are in isolation and will be monitored by medical professionals, according to the team. The tests came after Detroit Pistons player Christian Woods tested positive for the disease. The Pistons played against the Sixers on March 11. Several NBA teams have tested their players since the league announced it was suspending the 2019-2020 season. All of this testing of players comes as diagnostic kits across the U.S. have otherwise been in short supply, with many people unable to get tested despite showing symptoms. ― Sanjana Karanth
GameStop, the video game chain that operates 5,800 stores across the country, has been instructing its employees to keep stores open. Executives consider the chain “essential retail” alongside grocery stores and pharmacies, which have been allowed to remain open even in areas hit hardest by the outbreak.
In a memo sent to employees Thursday afternoon, the company told managers to push back on any local law enforcement requests to close GameStop locations.
“Due to the products we carry that enable and enhance our customers’ experience in working from home, we believe GameStop is classified as essential retail and therefore is able to remain open during this time,” read the memo. HuffPost reached out for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
— Sara Boboltz
Cannes Film Festival Officially Postponed — 3/19/20, 4:18 p.m. ET
After holding out for several weeks, organizers of France’s Cannes Film Festival officially postponed the event, one of the film world’s most influential gatherings of the year, held every May. In a statement, festival organizers said it “cannot be held on the scheduled dates.” But they noted “several options” were on the table, such as postponing until the end of June to the beginning of July, “as soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility.”
Festival organizers had previously insisted the event was still on, even as France’s government tightened restrictions on public gatherings, and many major world events announced cancellations or postponements. Last week, a festival spokesperson told Variety there was a contingency plan involving relocating film screenings to smaller venues and limiting the size of the audience at its glitzy premieres.
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But since then, the virus has continued to spread across Europe. This week, France’s president Emmanuel Macron placed the country under lockdown, as the number of confirmed cases in France grew to over 9,000.
— Marina Fang
Connecticut Postpones Presidential Primary — 3/19/20, 3:45 p.m. ET
Connecticut is joining several other states in postponing its presidential primary. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced that he’s pushing back the election from April 28 to June 2.
In coordination with other states and our Secretary of the State, and in an effort to carry out Democracy while keeping public health a top priority, I have decided to move our presidential primary to June 2nd. I will provide more information later today. #COVID19 #2020Primaries — Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) March 19, 2020
At least five other states have rescheduled their primaries, including Georgia, Louisiana and Maryland.
—Hayley Miller
The U.S. State Department raised its global travel advisory to level 4 on Thursday, strongly urging Americans to avoid international travel during the coronavirus pandemic and to return home as soon as possible if they’re already abroad.
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“If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe,” reads the warning.
The warning comes as airlines and cruise ship companies across the globe are reducing or canceling their operations.
—Mollie Reilly
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed the first U.K. patient has been put in a randomized trial for a treatment for COVID-19.
He said the government was “in negotiations” to buy a so-called antibody test.
“If it works as its proponents claim, then we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kits as soon as practicable,” he said. “Because obviously it has the potential to be a total game changer.”
Some 137 people in the U.K. have died after testing positive for the virus, including six in Scotland, two in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, according to the latest Department of Health and Social Care figures.
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— James Martin
Italy Passes Grim Milestone As Death Toll Overtakes China — 3/19/20, 1:30 p.m. ET
The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has risen by 427 over the last 24 hours, reaching 3,405 total deaths and overtaking the total number of fatalities so far registered in China.
The total number of cases in Italy also rose to 41,035 from a previous 35,713, up 14.9%, a faster rate of growth than seen over the last three days, HuffPost Italy reported (in Italian). Of those originally infected, 4,440 had fully recovered compared to 4,025 the day before. There were 2,498 people in intensive care against a previous 2,257.
— James Martin
The number of people who have died in the United States from coronavirus increased by 53 on Thursday, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 150.
Meanwhile, the total number of reported cases rose to 10,491.
—Mollie Reilly
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called on the Trump administration to act urgently in facilitating the production of additional medical ventilators needed to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Just to give you a sense of scope, we have about 5,000, 6,000 ventilators that we can identify,” Cuomo said. “We need about 30,000 ventilators.”
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Cuomo called on the administration to use the Federal Defense Production Act, which allows the president to prioritize and incentivize production of essential materials during a national crisis, to help meet the national demand for ventilators.
“The federal government has to come in and handle this,” Cuomo said.
― Ja’han Jones
Prince Albert II has tested positive for coronavirus, the Palace of Monaco has announced. The palace said that the prince, who is working from home, is being treated by doctors. The prince is the first head of state to test positive, but not the first royal. Karl von Habsburg, the Archduke of Austria, was the first to announce he had coronavirus.
― Carly Ledbetter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed Indians on the coronavirus outbreak and the efforts to contain it. In his first public remarks on the pandemic, Modi outlined the dangers of the disease and stressed the importance of social isolation. He has also called for Indians to observe a “janata curfew,” or people’s curfew, on Sunday, March 22. The Indian government has also set up a COVID-19 economic task force headed by the finance minister to look into the economic impact of the pandemic. The prime minister also told people not to hoard essential items out of panic. So far, India has reported 173 cases of COVID-19, including four deaths.
— Sharanya Hrishikesh
Deaths in Spain have soared by 209 from the previous day for a total of 767 deaths as the total number of coronavirus cases climbed by a quarter on Thursday. El HuffPost reported that the total number of infections in the country has risen to 17,147, with an increase of 3,431 new cases in just 24 hours.
— James Martin
India announced on Thursday that no scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft will be allowed to land in the country beginning March 22 for one week. The central government has also asked states to make sure that private sector employees, except those working in emergency or essential services, work from home. The country reported its fourth death from the coronavirus on Thursday, in Punjab. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the country at 8 p.m. IST.
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— Sharanya Hrishikesh
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a travel ban on all non-residents and non-Australian citizens coming into the country. The restrictions will come into place Friday at 9 p.m. local time.
“We have already seen a significant reduction in the travel to Australia by non-citizens in residence,” the prime minister said. HuffPost Australia reports that international arrivals must now self-isolate for 14-days or face hefty fines.
— James Martin
HuffPost US
Some London subway stations are set to close and 20,000 troops have been put on standby as the UK prepares to take the next steps to control the coronavirus. HuffPost UK reports that buses in the capital will be reduced and people are being urged “not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeys.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary, and that means they should be avoiding using the transport network unless absolutely necessary.” Some 104 people in the U.K. have died after testing positive.
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— James Martin
HuffPost US
HuffPost Brazil leads on the extraordinary picture of President Jair Bolsonaro and key ministers in masks addressing the media on Wednesday to reveal measures to tackle coronavirus. It comes just days after an unprotected Bolsonaro was pictured giving high-fives and taking selfies with supporters at a demonstration, despite the president being exposed to aides who had tested positive.
A joint report with our Brazilian edition reveals the country of 210 million people is repeating the United States’ worst mistakes in dealing with coronavirus. The number of cases in Brazil has passed 100 with the country recording its first death on Wednesday.
— James Martin
HuffPost US
Italy, Europe's worst-affected country, will remain under lockdown beyond previous deadlines due to expire later this month and in early April, HuffPost Italy reports (in Italian).
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In comments to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said measures taken to close schools, universities and to impose severe restrictions on movement would have to be prolonged. Under current measures, Italy's 60 million people are only allowed to travel for work, medical reasons or emergencies under an order that runs until April 3, while most shops, except those selling food and pharmacies, are supposed to remain closed until March 25.
— James Martin
The Federal Reserve said late Wednesday that it would launch an emergency lending facility to loan money to banks that purchase financial assets from money market mutual funds.
The program is the third emergency facility since the 2008 financial crisis that the Fed has established in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
—Dominique Mosbergen
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners on Friday to mark the Iranian new year, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media. The pardon comes days after Tehran announced the temporary release of about 85,000 prisoners, including many political prisoners, to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Those who will be pardoned will not return to jail ... almost half of those security-related prisoners will be pardoned as well,” government spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Wednesday.
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— Dominique Mosbergen
A worker at an Amazon warehouse in Queens, New York, has tested positive for COVID-19, The Atlantic reported on Wednesday. It’s believed to be the first confirmed coronavirus case in an Amazon warehouse in the U.S.
Earlier, two office workers at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters tested positive for the disease.
As The Atlantic noted, the new warehouse case is the “realization of a major threat to Amazon’s operations. Millions of people across the nation are cloistered inside their homes, many of them relying on the company to provide basic goods. Amazon is already struggling to meet demand, and some employees feel they’re being unfairly endangered by working in warehouses filled with other workers.”
Amazon said early Thursday that it had temporarily shuttered the New York facility.
— Dominique Mosbergen
China said Thursday that it had no new local infections of the novel coronavirus from the previous day, a major turning point in the unprecedented effort to beat back the disease. Thirty-four new cases of the virus were reported, but they all involved people who had come to China from other locations. The New York Times notes that experts say the country would have to record no new local infections for 14 days before the outbreak could officially be declared over.
— Nick Visser
Baltimore’s state’s attorney, Marilyn Mosby, ordered her staff to drop all pending charges for a bevy of crimes, including drug possession or attempted distribution, prostitution and minor traffic violations.
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The Baltimore Sun reports she is taking the step to reduce any potential outbreak for those behind bars. “An outbreak in prison or jails could potentially be catastrophic,” Mosby told her office. “Now is not the time for a piecemeal approach where we go into court and argue one by one for the release of at-risk individuals.”
The state’s attorney also urged Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to release all inmates over the age of 60 in state prisons, as well as a slew of other prisoners, including those that are scheduled to finish their sentences in the next year.
— Nick Visser
In a live update on Facebook Wednesday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said that hospitals around the state reported they were running short on supplies they needed to treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re also seeing hospitals — I just want to be candid with people — that are going down to the LA garment district and requesting seamstresses to start making masks,” Newsom said.
“I heard one case — don’t over-panic on this — they were purchasing swim goggles because they’re concerned about face protection,” the governor added. “Others were just going out and getting gloves from traditional hardware stores and grocery stores. That’s not acceptable under these circumstances.”
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Newsom said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was going to be “critical” in getting hospitals more of these needed supplies. He said the state has placed requests with FEMA for equipment including ventilators, gowns and masks for health workers, adding: “We certainly are going to need more support.”
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Ben McAdams (D-Utah) announced Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He was the second U.S. lawmaker to report a confirmed case, after Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said earlier that he had tested positive.
Both congressmen were in Washington on Friday and said they began to develop symptoms of illness over the weekend and self-quarantined. They both urged people to “take this seriously” and follow health officials’ recommendations.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
An inmate at New York City’s Rikers Island jail has tested positive for the coronavirus, the city’s Department of Correction told several news outlets.
The news follows reports that a corrections officer at the jail complex also tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. The DOC said it was working to “notify individuals who may have been in close contact with this detainee, and will provide these individuals with specific guidance.”
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The New York Times notes there are about 5,400 inmates in the city’s jails, many who are housed at Rikers. Visits to inmates in all city jails were suspended on March 18 due to concerns about the outbreak, although the DOC said phone calls were now free of charge.
— Nick Visser
Florida Republican Is First Member Of Congress To Test Positive For Coronavirus — 3/18/20 7:25 pm ET
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The Republican congressman said he had developed symptoms of illness, including a high fever and headache, on Saturday. On Wednesday, he got notice he had tested positive for coronavirus. Though he has been self-quarantined for several days, he was on the floor of the House voting on Friday, where he presumably came in contact with other lawmakers.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Georgia State Senator Tests Positive For Coronavirus ― 3/18/20, 5:56 p.m. ET
A state senator from Georgia has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The lawmaker’s identity has not been revealed, but state senators received a letter this afternoon informing them of the diagnosis and urging them to self-quarantine through the end of the month.
— Lydia O’Connor
The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill that provides financial relief to Americans affected by the pandemic, after making some changes over the weekend that weakened the package’s paid sick leave provisions.
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The bill, backed by 45 Republicans and every Democrat in the Senate, will make coronavirus testing free, expand unemployment insurance benefits, provide paid leave to some displaced workers, and increase spending on Medicaid, food stamps and nutrition assistance.
The House passed the bill on Saturday after significantly changing it due to opposition from the White House and business groups to its paid leave provisions. The bill now gives only 10 days of sick leave to workers affected by the pandemic, and companies with more than 500 employees are exempt from the paid leave provisions.
The bill now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.
— Sanjana Karanth
The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has surged in the last 24 hours by 475 to 2,978, an increase of 19%, the biggest jump since the contagion came to light there last month. The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 35,713 from a previous 31,506, up 13.35%, the Civil Protection Agency said.
In the U.K., the death toll reached 104 after a further 32 people died in England. They were ages 59 to 94 and all had underlying health conditions, HuffPost U.K. reported. The U.K. has also announced all schools will close on Friday until further notice.
— James Martin
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President Donald Trump announced he’s invoking the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of medical supplies, such as ventilators and masks, needed to treat patients infected with the coronavirus.
The federal law, which was enacted in 1950 in response to the Korean War, authorizes the federal government to make “loans, loan guarantees, purchases, and purchase commitments, to improve, expand, and maintain domestic production capabilities needed to support national defense and homeland security procurement requirements.”
Trump also said the Department of Housing and Urban Development is suspending all evictions and foreclosures until the end of April. And the Department of Health and Human Services announced a new regulation that allows doctors and medical professionals to practice across states lines to meet the needs of overstressed hospitals.
President Trump: "We will be invoking the Defense Production Act."
Also: "We are sending, upon request, the two hospital ships. They're being prepared right now. They're massive ships. The big white ships with the red cross on the sides."
Full video: https://t.co/GwQnJ0pwmo pic.twitter.com/Xl08iFxNc3 — CSPAN (@cspan) March 18, 2020
― Hayley Miller
After outcry from unions representing immigration judges and government prosecutors, the Department of Justice is closing immigration courts and canceling most deportation hearings, effective today through April 10.
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Hearings involving immigrants currently in detention will continue as planned, as they are typically conducted through video conference.
Reuters reports:
The decision came after unions representing immigration judges and prosecutors from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called for the shutdown. A dozen current government employees working in the U.S. immigration system told Reuters on Tuesday that they were concerned courts had remained open for so long despite the spreading outbreak.
— Marina Fang
The U.S. and Canada are barring nonessential travel across their border, a step underscoring the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump announced.
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau closed the country’s border to those who aren’t Canadian citizens or permanent residents, but exempted U.S. citizens “for the moment,” given that “the level of integration of our two countries is quite particular,” he said.
But amid the rapid growth in cases of COVID-19, officials in both countries began working on an agreement to restrict travel across the border to “essential” purposes, sources told the CBC, The Associated Press and CNN.
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— Marina Fang
Eurovision 2020 Canceled — 3/18/20, 9:50 a.m. ET
Eurovision organizers have announced that this year’s song contest has been canceled. The televised event, which includes entrants representing 41 different countries, had been due to take place in Rotterdam, Germany, on May 16, with semifinals in the days before.
— James Martin
There are now more than 201,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus across the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. At least 8,000 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and over 82,000 have recovered from it, the university reported.
— Hayley Miller
Glastonbury Festival, one of the world’s biggest and oldest live music events, has been postponed from June 2020 until 2021, its organizers have said.
HuffPost UK reports that Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross and Lana Del Rey were all due to perform at the festival, which was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The event’s cancellation follows the decision to postpone this year’s Coachella to October. Around 135,000 tickets had already been sold for the five-day event.
— James Martin
HuffPost US
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HuffPost France leads (in French) on how medical professionals have become the main “opposition” to President Emmanuel Macron.
Doctors, nurses and specialists have been questioning the government’s management of coronavirus, including a decision not to postpone local editions last Sunday. Doctors have also called for a policy of “total containment” and raised doubts over resourcing in hospitals.
— James Martin
HuffPost US
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed an almost empty parliament yesterday amid extraordinary scenes of lawmakers practicing social distancing. HuffPost Spain has photos (article in Spanish) showing lawmakers, some wearing face masks, keeping a safe distance from each other, as Sanchez explained the most emergency measures from the government.
— James Martin
HPUK splash March 18 HuffPost US
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HuffPost UK reports that Britain’s chief scientist has told MPs that if the UK can get the number of coronavirus deaths to “20,000 and below” that would be a “good outcome” in relative terms, though it would be “still horrible.”
Political Editor Paul Waugh writes on the need for speed to support Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) in the face of an expected spike in coronavirus cases: “Right now, it feels like we have just a few weeks to save the NHS from being overwhelmed by the sheer number of severe coronavirus cases in the UK. That’s not political sloganeering, it’s a hard fact on the mind of every single member of the government.”
— James Martin
Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said Tuesday that his nonprofit Bloomberg Philanthropies would be donating $40 million to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in developing nations.
“Millions of lives depend on getting the coronavirus response right — and so does the economic and social health of communities around the world,” Bloomberg, a former 2020 presidential candidate, said in a statement.
Bloomberg Philanthropies said its Coronavirus Global Response Initiative will serve to complement the work that The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is doing to mitigate the spread of the virus in more vulnerable countries. The Gates Foundation said earlier this month that it, together with two charities, would commit up to $125 million to battling the outbreak.
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— Dominique Mosbergen
The White House Office of Management and Budget asked Congress on Tuesday night to release an additional $45.8 billion in emergency funding to help in its battle containing the coronavirus pandemic.
“With the pandemic growing, resource needs have also grown,” Russell Vought, the acting OMB director, wrote in a letter to lawmakers, CNN reported. “The unprecedented mobilization the Administration has achieved has forced agencies to incur unanticipated costs. These costs must be met with a legislative response to ensure full operational capacity.”
Congress approved $8.3 billion in emergency funding earlier this month to fight the virus. “In situations like this, I believe no expense should be spared to protect the American people, and in crafting this package none was,” Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said at the time.
— Dominique Mosbergen
HuffPost US
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a number of unprecedented restrictions as coronavirus cases surge in the country. The measures include bans on gatherings of more than 100 people in pubs, clubs and restaurants and a “Level Four” ban on overseas travel to every country in the world.
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“This is a once-in-100-year type event. We haven’t seen this sort of thing in Australia since the end of the First World War,” Morrison said.
HuffPost Australia reports that at least 450 people in Australia have tested positive while five people have died after contracting COVID-19.
— James Martin
Chicago’s Midway Airport At Reduced Capacity After Techs Test Positive For COVID-19 — 3/18/20, 1:20 a.m. ET
The air traffic control tower at Chicago Midway International Airport was closed temporarily on Tuesday after some technicians tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Federal Aviation Administration said flights at the airport would continue at a reduced capacity “out of an abundance of caution,” shifting from a “one-in-one-out” flight policy.
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“The air traffic system is a resilient system with multiple backups in place,” the FAA said in a statement. “This shift is a regular execution of a long-standing contingency plan to ensure continued operations. Each facility across the country has a similar plan that has been updated and tested in recent years.”
Many flights had short delays on Tuesday and Southwest Airlines suspended all flights in or out of the airport until Wednesday morning, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
— Nick Visser
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Tuesday that the state’s public schools were likely to be closed for the rest of the school year.
“Don’t anticipate schools are going to open up in a week. Please don’t anticipate in a few weeks,” Newsom said during a news conference, according to the Los Angles Times. “I would plan, and assume, that it’s unlikely that many of these schools — few, if any — will open before the summer break.”Almost every school district in the state is closed, impacting more than 6 million students in public schools. Districts have continued to teach via online classes and homework. Kansas also closed all state-accredited schools, representing nearly 500,000 students, for the rest of the school year on Tuesday.
— Nick Visser
Kevin Durant Tests Positive For Coronavirus — 3/17/20, 9:35 p.m. ET
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said Tuesday he has tested positive for coronavirus, the latest NBA player to be infected as the outbreak spreads.
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“Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine,” Durant told The Athletic. “We’re going to get through this.“
The Nets said four of its players had tested positive for the virus, although it did not say who had been affected. The team said all four were under isolation and in the care of team physicians.
— Nick Visser
New Orleans Jazz Fest Postponed Until Fall — 3/17/20, 8:17 p.m. ET
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, more popularly known as Jazz Fest, has joined the growing roster of major events postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
According to a Tuesday announcement, the festival will be held sometime in the fall instead. Exact dates are yet to be determined.
Typically held in late April and early May, Jazz Fest has drawn as many as 450,000 people to New Orleans in years past. This year’s performers were set to include The Who, Stevie Nicks and Lizzo.
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— Mollie Reilly
Australia Places Indefinite Ban On All International Travel For Citizens — 3/17/20, 6:15 p.m. ET
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison placed an indefinite ban on all overseas travel for citizens on Wednesday as the country declared a “human biosecurity emergency.”
“That is the first time that has ever happened in Australia’s history,” Morrison said at a news conference Wednesday. “The travel advice to every Australian is ‘do not travel abroad.’ Do not go overseas. That is very clear, that instruction. For those who are thinking of going overseas in the school holidays, don’t. Don’t go overseas.”
The government raised its travel advisory to Level 4, do not travel, for every country in the world as the coronavirus pandemic spreads and cases grow within Australia.
Morrison also announced bans on indoor gatherings of more than 100 people, urged social distancing for months and chastised Australians for hoarding food and home goods.
“Stop hoarding, stop it. It’s one of the more disappointing things I’ve seen,” Morrison said. “It’s ridiculous, it’s un-Australian and it must stop.”
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— Nick Visser
Coronavirus Has Now Spread To All 50 States — 3/17/20, 6:11 ET
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has now officially spread to all 50 states.
A patient in West Virginia, which was the only state with no confirmed cases until now, tested positive for coronavirus, Gov. Jim Justice (R) said Tuesday. Justice didn’t offer many details, noting only that the person diagnosed lives in the eastern panhandle of the state.
― Ryan Grenoble
Four players on the Brooklyn Nets have tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA team said in a statement.
“The organization is currently notifying anyone who has had known contact with the players, including recent opponents, and is working closely with state and local health authorities on reporting,” the Nets said. “All players and members of the Nets travel party are being asked to remain isolated, closely monitor their health and maintain constant communication with team medical staff.”
The Nets announce that four players tested positive for COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/S0kAztSG8g — Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) March 17, 2020
The positive test results come after reports that multiple Utah Jazz players also got infected by the virus. The NBA announced in response that it was suspending the basketball season.
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— Sanjana Karanth
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration is looking into issuing checks to Americans to help stymie financial hardships inflicted by the coronavirus outbreak.
“Americans need cash now, and the president wants to get cash now,” he said at a White House press briefing. “And I mean now, in the next two weeks.”
Mnuchin said he would discuss with Senate Republicans exactly how much to provide.
— Nina Golgowski
Another major Hollywood blockbuster will not open in theaters until further notice. Marvel is shelving “Black Widow,” scheduled for a May 1 release, citing the CDC’s guidelines that Americans should avoid gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks.
Many Hollywood studios have postponed film releases, as countries around the world have shuttered theaters and other public venues in order to stem the spread of COVID-19. Most U.S. movie theater chains have closed, including the two largest, AMC and Regal. Together, they have more than 1,100 locations.
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— Marina Fang
The United Nations’ refugee agency announced it must tempora