Coronavirus updates: U.S. cases top 1,000 as states scramble to contain the virus

Jamaica has diagnosed its first coronavirus case, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Kingston. The embassy said the patient had traveled from the United Kingdom. 

The embassy added that Jamaica has implemented a number of screening and quarantine measures to stop the spread of the virus. "All travelers entering the island with recent travel to China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Singapore, South Korea and Spain may be denied entry or will be subject to immediate quarantine or isolation if symptomatic," the embassy said. 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the state's first two presumptive positive coronavirus cases on Tuesday night. Whitmer also declared a state of emergency to help fight the virus. 

"We are taking every step we can to mitigate the spread of the virus and keep Michiganders safe," Whitmer said. "I have declared a state of emergency to harness all of our resources across state government to slow the spread of the virus and protect families."

In a press release, officials described one patient as "an adult female from Oakland County with recent international travel" and the other as an "adult male from Wayne County with recent domestic travel."

The release said their samples have been sent to the CDC for testing. 

Health officials in California reported Tuesday that a woman in Sacramento has died of complications related to the coronavirus, bringing the state's death toll to three. 

A press release from Sacramento County Public Health described the patient as a woman in her 90s who resided in an assisted living facility. The release said she had an underlying health condition. 

At least 32 people have died of the virus in the United States. Most of the deaths have occurred in Washington. 

More than 100 schools or districts in the U.S. are now closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. 

Students attending those schools are part of the more than 360 million students worldwide who are not in school due to the virus. 

"It's devastating not knowing what you're going to do last minute in regards to babysitting, daycares," one parent said. "It has impacted us, but obviously we want to make sure everybody's safe.  So we're just complying like everybody else."

A South Dakota man with underlying health problems who tested positive for COVID-19 has died, and four others from across the state have tested positive for the virus, officials announced on Tuesday.

Governor Kristi Noem said the man died Tuesday, but officials have not confirmed if his death was caused by the virus. He was in his 60s and from Pennington County in the western part of the state. 

The four other cases confirmed on Tuesday were in separate locations stretching across the state. Health officials said they have not found a link between the cases. 

Noem said the people had recently traveled, though not necessarily overseas, and that health officials are working to identify those who came into "close contact" with people who tested positive for the virus. 

 —The Associated Press

The upcoming Democratic debate in Arizona on Sunday will not have a live audience, the DNC announced Tuesday. 

"At the request of both campaigns and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience at the Arizona debate taking place on Sunday, March 15th.  The DNC has been in regular communication with local health officials and the Mayor's office, which advised that we could proceed as planned," Xochitl Hinojosa, DNC spokesperson, said in a statement.

"Nevertheless, our number one priority has and will continue to be the safety of our staff, campaigns, Arizonans and all those involved in the debate.  We will continue to remain in daily contact with all stakeholders through Sunday."

Coachella and Stagecoach will be rescheduled for October due to coronavirus concerns, according to a post on Coachella's official Twitter account.

"While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community seriously," the post said.

Coachella, which was originally scheduled to begin on April 10, will now take place on October 9-11 and 16-18 of this year. Stagecoach will take place the following weekend. The organizers said that all tickets for the April dates will be honored for the October dates, and that customers will get information about refunds if they're unable to attend on the new date. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday contradicted Mr. Trump's Friday claim that "Anybody that wants a test can get a test."

"I think there's a false premise in your question," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told a reporter who asked about testing capacity. "That just because I as a person say, 'Oh, I'd like to be tested for the novel coronavirus, I should be going to a minute clinic or some other facility and just walking in and saying, 'Give me my test, please.'" 

"That's not how diagnostic testing works in the United States, or frankly almost anywhere in the world," Azar added. 

When asked about the difference between his and Mr. Trump's comments, Azar said, "We've always been clear. If their doctor or public health physician believes that they should be tested — it needs to always be clinically indicated to receive a test." 

Barclays told employees that a person in its New York office has been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to a memo cited Tuesday by Reuters. Employees who had contact with or worked in the vicinity of the individual were reportedly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. 

The company added that it has deep cleaned the office and surrounding area on the trading floor, according to the memo cited by Reuters. 

Officials in Massachusetts, Colorado and North Carolina declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. In total, 14 states have now made emergency declarations to better respond to coronavirus. 

The Seattle & King County public health department announced two additional deaths in Washington State on Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll to 24. 

One patient was a man in his 80s, and the other was a woman in her 80s, according to a statement from public health officials. 

Neither patient was linked to Life Care Center of Kirkland, the nursing facility linked to 19 of the county's 22 coronavirus deaths, according to the statement. The statement added that the public health department is working with ten facilities where either residents or employees have tested positive for the virus. 

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden on Tuesday canceled their campaign events in Cleveland in response to the coronavirus outbreak. A spokesperson for the Sanders campaign said all future events will be "evaluated on a case by case basis."

"Out of concern for public health and safety, we are canceling tonight's rally in Cleveland," said Mike Casca, a spokesperson for the Sanders campaign. 

"We are heeding the public warnings from Ohio state officials, who have communicated concern about holding large, indoor events during the coronavirus outbreak. Sen. Sanders would like to express his regret to the thousands of Ohioans who had planned to attend the event tonight."

Shortly after, Biden also canceled his rally.

"In accordance with guidance from public officials and out of an abundance of caution, our rally in Cleveland, Ohio tonight is canceled," said deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield. "We will continue to consult with public health officials and public health guidance and make announcements about future events in the coming days."

"Vice President Biden thanks all of his supporters who wanted to be with us in Cleveland this evening. Additional details on where the Vice President will address the press tonight are forthcoming."

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James walked back his Friday statement that he would not play without fans in arenas as a measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus. 

On Tuesday, James said he was previously unaware that the NBA was seriously considering barring fans from games.

"When I was asked the question 'would you play without fans' I had no idea that it was actually a conversation going on behind closed doors about the virus," James told reporters. 

"So obviously, I'd be very disappointed not having the fans because that's what I play for… I'd be disappointed in that, but at the same time you got to listen to the people that are keeping track of what's going on," he said.

"If they feel like it's best for the safety of the players, safety of the franchise, safety of the league, to mandate that then we all listen to them." 

Democratic lawmakers held a press conference Tuesday to call for an expansion of paid sick leave in light of coronavirus quarantines across the country. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said they are advocating that "all employees immediately receive two weeks of paid sick leave."

"Every time a person has to forgo a paycheck or lose their job, that is a failure of government," Gillibrand said.

Senator Chuck Schumer outlined the Democrats' proposal to address the "economic uncertainty" that many Americans are facing, and correct what he called President Trump's "incompetence" in face of the crisis. 

"We are very worried about the president's incompetence and lack of focus in tackling the coronavirus," Schumer said. "We believe that his lack of focus is hamstringing efforts to address this public crisis and inflicting pain on the stock market."

The proposal calls for free coronavirus testing, as well as paid sick leave and emergency unemployment insurance, according to Schumer. He also called for an expansion of school lunch programs, and support for small businesses in the form of loans and grants while the outbreak slows economic activity. 

"Workers should not have to worry about losing their paychecks because of the impacts of coronavirus, " he said. "If you're not working because you were laid off, or because your kid's school is closed and someone has to stay home and watch them, you should get unemployment insurance."

Senator Ron Wyden criticized Trump's proposed payroll tax cut, saying it doesn't help people who rely on shifts and tips, and those who don't have paid sick leave. 

"The bottom line is, President Trump is not going to be able to wiggle out of a public health crisis by doling out another big batch of tax cuts to his investor buddies," Wyden said.

Florida became one of fourteen states to declare a state of emergency on Monday over coronavirus concerns. Fourteen Florida residents and one non-resident have tested positive for COVID-19, and two people in the state have died from the disease, according to Florida's Department of Health.

The declaration was made amid spring break for millions of Americans, and some tourism officials were worried about the outbreak's potential impact on businesses.

For now, tourists are still flocking to the Sunshine State, "CBS This Morning" reported Tuesday.

"The weather's great. It's cold back home," one visitor said.

DeSantis said the declaration allows him to create a command structure for the state's coronavirus response, and if necessary, allows for out-of-state medical personnel to operate in Florida, CBS Miami reports. 

On Tuesday, Florida's Broward County north of Miami declared its own state of emergency. The county, which includes Fort Lauderdale, has four confirmed coronavirus cases, the most of any county in the state. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that officials are implementing a "containment area" centered in New Rochelle from March 12-25, CBS New York reports.

Large gathering places will be closed for two weeks within that area, including temples, schools and churches. Grocery stores and smaller businesses will not be affected, the station reports.

The state will send National Guard troops to help clean surfaces and deliver food in the area, a 1-mile-radius around a point near a synagogue connected to some existing cases, Cuomo said. The state and a private health system are setting up a testing facility in the area.

"It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country," Cuomo said at a news conference. "The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle."

There are now 173 coronavirus cases in New York state – 108 of them in Westchester County, which is home to New Rochelle.

-Contributing: The Associated Press  

Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that U.S. insurance companies have agreed to waive co-pays for coronavirus testing.

"I'm pleased to report ... that all the insurance companies here, either today or before today, have agreed to waive all copays on coronavirus testing and extend coverage for coronavirus treatment in all of their benefit plans," Pence said during a meeting with health insurance CEOs at the White House.

Medicare and Medicaid announced last week they would cover the test if it is ordered by a doctor or other health care provider.

According to Pence, the CEOs also agreed to "no surprise billing," and to cover "telemedicine" costs. Telemedicine helps keep vulnerable populations out of hospitals and doctors offices, where they are more likely to encounter the virus.

"We want people to get tested," Pence said.

"We want the American people to know that they are covered by private insurance." 

Pope Francis urged Catholic priests to visit people infected by the coronavirus, Catholic News Service reports. 

"Let us also pray to the Lord for our priests, so that they have the courage to go out and go to those who are sick, bringing the strength of the word of God and the Eucharist and to accompany health care workers and volunteers in the work they are doing," the pope said at the start of the Mass at the Vatican on Tuesday.  

His prayer comes amid drastic measures being taken across Italy to contain the virus. Italy has over 10,000 cases of COVID-19, the most cases outside of China, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United Kingdom confirmed its sixth coronavirus death on Tuesday, with the health department giving an update on total infection numbers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Department of Health and Social Care said Tuesday that of the 26,261 people who have been tested for the disease, 373 had been confirmed to have the new COVID-19 disease cased by the virus that originated in China late last year.

 The death toll of six was an increase of one from the previous day.

Hard-hit Hubei, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, will relax travel restrictions to allow healthy people to move within the province, officials said Tuesday. Hubei has been under lockdown since January with some 56 million people under quarantine, but the number of cases has declined in recent weeks.

According to the provincial government, a mobile app will be used to give residents a colored health code, and people labelled "green" in medium and low-risk areas will be allowed to travel within the province. There is no indication that people can leave the province, and the measures also did not appear to loosen restrictions in Hubei's capital, Wuhan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared Tuesday that the spread of the deadly epidemic had been "basically curbed" in Hubei and Wuhan. Amid the drop in new cases, China closed the last of the 16 temporary hospitals that had been opened around Wuhan to house people with mild cases of COVID-19

He said "initial success has been made in stabilizing the situation and turning the tide in Hubei and Wuhan," the official Xinhua news agency reported after the Chinese leader paid his first visit to the city since the crisis erupted in January. 

- CBS/AFP

The University of Washington has a drive-through coronavirus testing site up and running as part of efforts to rapidly expand its medical center's capacity to screen for the new COVID-19 disease. The drive-through was operational at UW Medical in North Seattle with the ability to test 40 to 50 people per day, according to CBS News affiliate KIRO.

The facility was only available to university employees and students, but KIRO said the plan was to expand that later in the week to include first responders, employees at long-term care facilities and UW patients showing possible coronavirus symptoms.

"We need widespread testing right now," Dr. Seth Cohen, Medical Director for Infection Prevention at UW Medicine, told KIRO. "There's urgency around it."

The test site was set up in a parking garage on the UW campus on Friday. It consists of three tents; one to hold cleaning supplies and protective items, and two for patient administration and test kits.

The United Nations will close its doors to visitors from Tuesday evening, CBS News has learned. The U.N. Spokesman's office said the UN would remain open for diplomats, staff and journalists. 

Delegations from the 15 member states on the Security Council have received training on how to conduct a virtual Council meeting this week. That hasn't happened in 75 years of U.N. history, but the training was conducted in the event it should be needed, diplomats were told. 

"It did not work very well in the test," a representative from a non-permanent member of the Council told CBS News, "but it was just the first test."

U.N. staff were also being prepared to work remotely if that becomes necessary.

The U.N. plan also involved guidance from the President of the 193-nation General Assembly that will involve working part of the week from home, in order to reduce the in-house workforce at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The death toll from alcohol poisoning in Iran rose to 44 Tuesday, state news agency IRNA reported, over misguided efforts to ward off the new coronavirus by drinking bootleg alcohol. The outbreak of the virus in the Islamic Republic is one of the deadliest outside of China, where the disease originated.

The highest poisoning toll struck in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, where it grew by 16 to reach 36 on Tuesday, the agency said. They had "drank bootleg alcohol over rumors that it would be effective in treating coronavirus and were poisoned," IRNA said.

The poisoning toll in Khuzestan is higher than its 18 direct deaths from coronavirus, according to IRNA. Seven more people have died from bootleg alcohol in the northern region of Alborz and one in Kermanshah, western Iran.

Alcohol is banned in Iran for everyone except some non-Muslim minorities, but local media regularly report on lethal cases of poisoning from bootleg liquor. Iran has scrambled to try to contain the spread of COVID-19, which has killed 291 people and infected more than 8,000 in the country.

Italy has suffered the most deaths from the new coronavirus outside China. There are more than 9,000 reported cases and 463 deaths blamed on COVID-19 in the country.

To try and rein in the spread, Italy has imposed the strictest restrictions on movements within the country since World War II. Public gatherings are strictly forbidden. People have been told to work from home or they will be asked to prove to police why they're not. Restaurants and shops were shutting their doors, and the schools and universities across the country have already been closed.

Violators of the new rules risk up to three months in jail or fines of $225.

"We have run out of time," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday as the measures were announced. "We're having a growth in infection and deaths ... the whole of Italy will become a protected zone."

Officials in the hardest hit northern region, which has been under quarantine since Sunday, said hospitals are "on the verge of collapse." 

But there were signs the clampdown was working: In the northern regions where quarantines have been in place for a couple of weeks, the number of cases was going down.

Harvard University has told students that it intends to move all classes into the virtual realm and out of classrooms this month to try top avoid an outbreak on campus of the new coronavirus. 

"Our goal is to have this transition complete by Monday, March 23, which is the first day of scheduled classes following Spring Recess," the prestigious university told students in a statement circulated Tuesday, attributed to its President Lawrence Bacow. "Students are asked not to return to campus after Spring Recess and to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice. Students who need to remain on campus will also receive instruction remotely and must prepare for severely limited on-campus activities and interactions."

The statement said the university was also going to limit non-essential gatherings of all kinds to no more than 25 people "over the course of the next few days." 

A growing number of U.S. universities have already taken the same or similar actions. 

Britain's National Health Service said Tuesday it was taking measures to fight "coronavirus fake news" in response to a number of false claims about COVID-19 being spread on social media.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock called it "another important step so members of the public can access reliable, accurate health information, which is more crucial than ever as we continue our response to coronavirus"

Verified NHS guidance will now be immediately available when someone searches for coronavirus on Google, and both Facebook and Twitter will send people to the NHS website if they search for information about the virus on those platforms.

"The NHS has already been battling coronavirus fake news, from working to take down false Twitter accounts to speaking out against misleading treatments being promoted by homeopaths online," Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said in a statement.  

The move comes along with separate U.K. government action to fight misinformation about the coronavirus, announced Monday. A new government unit, based in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, will monitor misinformation about the disease and assess whether it is being deliberately spread online.

A Mediterranean cruise was halted for several hours Tuesday when two passengers were taken to a hospital in the French port city of Marseille for tests, amid fears they might have contracted the new coronavirus. A lifeboat was sent to transfer the two passengers from the ship, which was forced to drop anchor at sea, away from the bustling port city. 

Local health authorities reported later that the test results were negative.

The cruise ship Aidasol, reportedly carrying more than 2,000 people, traveled to France from Valencia in neighboring Spain. It had been due to dock in Marseille early Tuesday morning for a day trip to the city. That was canceled, however, and all other passengers were kept on board while the two underwent tests on land. Once the results came in, the ship was allowed to enter the Marseille port and continue the cruise.

Spain has reported more than 1,600 cases of the new coronavirus, including 35 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

- Elaine Cobbe

A 78-year-old man and an 89-year-old woman have become the first coronavirus patients to die in Germany. According to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's national infectious disease and prevention agency, the number of infections in the country as of Tuesday was 1,139, of whom 484 were in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In Bavaria, all events hosting more than 1,000 people have been cancelled until April 10 and multiple events across Germany have been postponed.

Health Minister Jens Spahn has asked residents to work from home if possible and to avoid public transport and any large gatherings. Schools and daycare facilities remained open as of Tuesday afternoon. 

- Anna Noryskiewicz 

Passengers of the Grand Princess cruise ship started disembarking Tuesday after 21 of the ship's 2,400 crew and guests tested positive for coronavirus. One couple is filing a lawsuit against the cruise line, arguing it put their health at risk after 12 coronavirus cases and one death were linked to the ship's previous voyage.

"My condition is not the best. I have a pacemaker, a defibrillator in my chest," passenger Ron Weissberger told CBS News' Carter Evans. He and his wife are suing the cruise line's parent company, claiming it continued to sail, "knowing that some passengers and crew had already been exposed to COVID-19."

"If we would have known, let's say before we landed in the first port, we would have gotten off that ship and flown back home," he said. "I want to let other passengers know what they are getting into once they sign up for a cruise."

California Governor Gavin Newsom said it could take two to three days to get everybody off of the ship due to mandatory screening procedures.

A Washington D.C. church where the pastor tested positive for coronavirus after leading a service for hundreds of people confirmed late Monday that a second member had contracted the disease. 

"We need to share with you that our organist and choirmaster, Tom Smith, was diagnosed with the coronavirus this evening," the church confirmed in an email. It said the capital city's public health department had been informed and was working on guidance for the church community, which church leaders would share.

The church, in the popular restaurant and shopping neighborhood of Georgetown, said the 2nd confirmed virus patient was "home and feeling well given the circumstances."

Christ Church Georgetown's rector Reverend Timothy Cole became D.C.'s first coronavirus case when his diagnosis was confirmed over the weekend. The church has said about 550 parishioners who attended service on March 1 were self-quarantining through March 9, 2020, as per guidance from the federal government.

The Washington Post reported Monday that one man in his late sixties who attended service on March 1, and who shook hands with Cole, had decided not to stay home and instead played golf in Northern Virginia with friends this week.   

Global stock markets rebounded Tuesday from record-setting declines after President Trump said he would ask Congress for a tax cut and other measures to ease the pain of the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Wall Street futures were surging. Oil prices also recovered some of the losses from Monday's record-setting plunge.

London opened 1.8% higher and Frankfurt advanced 1%. China's main stock index rose 1.8% and Tokyo closed up 0.9%.

On Wall Street, which suffered its biggest one-day drop since the 2008 global crisis on Monday, futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index picked up 3.9%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were more than 1,000 points higher as of 6:05 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

- CBS/AP

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday declared a State of Emergency and a Public Health Emergency due to the coronavirus.

"The State of New Jersey is committed to deploying every available resource, across all levels of government, to help respond to the spread of COVID-19 and keep our residents informed," Murphy said. "My Administration will continue to work closely with our federal partners to ensure that local health agencies on the front lines of the state's response are equipped with the resources needed to further prepare our health care system for a broader spread of COVID-19." 

There have been 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Jersey so far.

President Trump has not been tested for coronavirus, according to a statement from White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. The statement comes hours after Mr. Trump ignored reporters who asked whether he'd been tested. 
 
"The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms," Grisham said. "President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him."  
 
Concerns over the president's health arose Monday after a number of prominent Republican lawmakers — including Senator Ted Cruz and Mr. Trump's new pick for chief of staff, Mark Meadows — said they would self-quarantine after potentially being exposed to a patient with coronavirus at CPAC.   

Representative Mark Meadows, President Trump's new pick for acting chief of staff, will self-quarantine for two more days after he potentially came into contact with a coronavirus patient at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February.

"Out of an abundance of caution, Meadows received testing which came back negative," Meadows' communication director tweeted Monday. "While he's experiencing zero symptoms, under doctors' standard precautionary recommendations, he'll remain at home until the 14 day period expires this Wednesday."
 
Meadows' announcement comes hours after a number of other Republican lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz, also said they will self-quarantine.