March 10 coronavirus news

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is canceling his rally in Cleveland, Ohio, tonight, his communications director tells CNN.

Here's the statement from his Communications Director Mike Casca:

Watch:

A New York City Fire Department emergency medical technician who tested positive for coronavirus contracted the virus from his girlfriend, who is a flight attendant and had traveled to an area with an outbreak, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

As a result of the EMT’s positive test, five of his colleagues are in self-quarantine. None of them are showing symptoms, de Blasio said.

The medic treated 11 patients in the pertinent time period, de Blasio said. 

The are at least 849 cases of coronavirus in the US, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, there are 70 cases from repatriated citizens from Wuhan, the Diamond Princess and the Grand Princess. According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested through US public health systems, there are 779 cases in 36 states and the District of Columbia, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 849.

This includes presumptive positive cases that tested positive in a public health lab and are pending confirmation from the CDC, and confirmed cases that have received positive results from the CDC.

 Twenty-seven people in the US have died.  

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz said that he tested negative for coronavirus.

Gaetz drew attention Monday, after he tweeted that he learned he was in contact with an individual at the Conservative Political Action Conference who had tested positive for the virus.

CNN reported he found out about the contact while traveling on Air Force One back to Washington, and after spending the weekend with President Trump in Mar-a-Lago. He was also seen riding in the presidential limousine with the President in Florida. 

Incoming White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is also staying home until tomorrow despite his test coming back negative. 

Rep. Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican, also came in contact with the CPAC patient, and was pictured shaking hands with the President on Friday.

Most viruses don't spread easily on airplanes because of how the air circulates and is filtered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Modern commercial jets recirculate 10-50% of the air in the cabin, mixed with outside air.

"The recirculated air passes through a series of filters 20--30 times per hour," the CDC says.

"Furthermore, air generally circulates in defined areas within the aircraft, thus limiting the radius of distribution of pathogens spread by small-particle aerosols. As a result, the cabin air environment is not conducive to the spread of most infectious diseases."

Still, try to avoid contact with anyone sneezing or coughing. And if you're feeling sick, cover your entire mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow when you cough or sneeze.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs is adopting a “no visitor” policy during the coronavirus outbreak.

This means "no outside visitors" will be allowed to see residents at any of the 134 VA-run nursing homes. These facilities are home to more than 41,000 veterans across the country.

The only exceptions to the no visitor rule will be in "compassionate cases" — when veterans in hospice units are in their last stages of life, the VA said in a statement.

"In those cases, visitors will be limited to a specific Veteran’s room only," the VA said.

The same “no visitor” policy will also be extended to the VA’s 24 major spinal cord injury and disorder centers.

Additionally, VA nursing homes will suspend new admissions and home staffers will be screened for coronavirus daily.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill must now deal not only with the threat of coronavirus to the American public, but also the risks they themselves face from the virus as it continues to spread.

The disease was a topic of discussion during a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic caucus this morning with members receiving advice on how to interact with others as the virus spreads, a person familiar with the meeting told CNN.

The attending physician asked members to stop touching others during personal greetings, suggesting that members instead use the "live long and prosper sign," a light-hearted reference to a salute and greeting accompanied by a hand gesture in the television series "Star Trek." 

Uncertainty and concern over potential exposure to the virus has heightened in the past 24 hours as several lawmakers have now opted to self-quarantine or take other steps to isolate themselves after coming into contact with infected individuals.

Coronavirus inspires people to get creative with greetings:

It's not the cabin air you need to worry about. It's keeping your hands clean.

Always be mindful of where your hands have been, travel medicine specialist Dr. Richard Dawood said.

Airport handrails, door handles and airplane lavatory levers are notoriously dirty.

"It is OK to touch these things as long as you then wash or sanitize your hands before contaminating your face, touching or handling food," Dawood said.

"Hand sanitizers are great. So are antiseptic hand wipes, which you can also use to wipe down armrests, remote controls at your seat and your tray table."

One of music's largest events will be delayed over coronavirus concerns.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival organizers will postpone the event, potentially until October, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell CNN.

The festival, which typically attracts about 100,000 attendees per day, had been set to take place on two weekends: April 10-12 and April 17-19 in Indio, California.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Coachella for comment.

A date change would follow last week's cancellation of South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Both events, which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, join a host of others — from concert tour legs to conferences — that have canceled or rescheduled as the number of global cases of coronavirus continues to climb.

Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean were scheduled to headline Coachella. It is not yet known if they would perform in October.

Other artists set to perform had included Calvin Harris, Big Sean, Lewis Capaldi, Charlie XCX, Flume, 21 Savage, Lana Del Rey and Lil Nas X.