A version of this story appeared in the March 11 edition of CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.
As the US scrambles to make more testing kits available, confirmed coronavirus cases increased to 1,000 across the country – Germany, Spain, and France passed the same milestone in recent days.
The National Guard is deploying to New Rochelle, a suburb of New York City, where a 1-mile containment zone has been ordered in a dramatic step to tackle what is likely the largest coronavirus cluster in the US.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said schools and large facilities inside the containment area would close for two weeks, starting March 12. “It is what they call a cluster. The numbers have been going up, the numbers have continued to go up, the numbers are going up unabated,” Cuomo said.
Elsewhere, Massachusetts and Michigan declared emergencies, while a ban on gatherings of more than 250 people is expected to be announced in three counties in Washington state. And the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases says Americans everywhere need to change the way they live their lives. Right now.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
Life under quarantine
“This is literally a matter of life and death.” Those were the words of Gov. Cuomo as he announced the containment area in New Rochelle.
Quarantines in the US, Italy and elsewhere – which rely on people obeying the law – have raised questions about civil disobedience, Luke McGee writes. Legal experts agree that the lockdown in Italy complies with the European Convention on Human Rights, but the more serious question is whether citizens will respect it. “The effectiveness of any quarantine will ultimately depend on people’s willingness to comply,” says Elena Crespi from the International Federation on Human Rights.
Sick politicians
A British health minister has tested positive for the coronavirus, joining a growing number of politicians who have gone into isolation around the world – either because they are themselves infected or have been in contact with someone who was. Nadine Dorries, who became ill last week, was at a recent Downing Street event with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and reportedly came into contact with hundreds of people in Parliament. The PM is not getting tested, because he has shown no symptoms, government sources say.
The coronavirus has sickened lawmakers in the French, Spanish, European and Iranian parliaments, and forced others to self-isolate, including several US Republican lawmakers. The virus has also upended the US presidential primary race, forcing Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden to cancel rallies and events. The CNN-Univision Democratic presidential debate this weekend will be held without an audience. President Donald Trump’s campaign, however, says it’s still full steam ahead.
Flight cuts
The world’s largest airline, American, is cutting 7.5% of its domestic flights next month and making deep cuts to its international schedule, Chris Isidore writes. Delta Air Lines also announced flight cuts yesterday, trimming domestic routes by up to 15% and international by up to 25%. Executives at other US carriers said they also expect tough times ahead after bookings to Asia and Europe dropped off. Airlines outside the US – including Qantas, British Airways and Ryanair, among others – are making similar moves.
ON OUR RADAR
- Uber will temporarily suspend accounts of riders or drivers confirmed to have contracted or been exposed to Covid-19.
- US Treasury is likely to push back the April 15 tax filing deadline, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
- The UK slashed interest rates to a record low today to fight economic fallout from the outbreak.
- China’s Hubei province will gradually allow businesses to reopen in the coming days.
- There are surely worse places to be quarantined than this Maldives resort.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: ITALY
From la Repubblica journalist Beniamino Pagliaro, in Rome:It’s scary to me that most capitals around the world seem not to have understood how deep a change we need. Reading news of the UK and US, what they are doing is what we were doing two weeks ago. The pattern is very, very clear, like you are in denial because you think you can act in another way, but then facts and scientists tell us the only way is to slow down – you can’t stop it.
TODAY’S TOP TIP
Don’t attach the virus to any particular ethnicity or nationality, be empathetic to those affected, and avoid the news if it stresses you out, the World Health Organization says in its mental health advice for coping with the outbreak.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.
Q: How can I tell if I have the coronavirus – or something else?
A: The initial stages of colds, flus and the coronavirus can be very similar, and some coronavirus and flu cases can be so mild they don’t raise any red flags. That’s why you have to pay attention to see if your symptoms persist, AJ Willingham writes.
Thousands of people have asked us questions about the outbreak. Send yours here.
FROM TODAY’S PODCAST
“I’m a big proponent of telling patients and students, panic rarely helps a situation so let’s stay calm. And, you know, we have faced worse things in this country. I think we’re up to the task,” Dr. Howard Markel, professor of historical medicine, says.
In today’s podcast, Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Markel, Director of the Center for the History of Medicine, University of Michigan, about the lessons that can be learned from past outbreaks like SARS, MERS and more than a century ago, the Spanish Flu.
