The National Collegiate Athletic Association's Mach Madness tournaments are still scheduled to kick off next week as planned.
NCAA President Mark Emmert says that neither the organization’s appointed coronavirus advisory panel nor the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “have advised against holding sporting events.”
Here's Emmert’s full statement:
“NCAA member schools and conferences make their own decisions regarding regular season and conference tournament play. As we have stated, we will make decisions on our events based on the best, most current public health guidance available. Neither the NCAA COVID-19 advisory panel, made up of leading public health and infectious disease experts in America, nor the CDC or local health officials have advised against holding sporting events. In the event circumstances change, we will make decisions accordingly.”
The first games for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are next Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.
Earlier today, the Ivy League announced its weekend tournaments are canceled. As a result, the league’s regular-season champions – Princeton’s women’s team and Yale’s men’s team – are automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournaments.
1:52 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
Trump administration downplays concerns about coronavirus' effect on the 2020 Census
From CNN's Vivian Salama
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross testifies before a House Appropriations subcommittee on budget on Capitol Hill, on Tuesday, March 10, in Washington. Andrew Harnik/AP
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross downplayed concerns that the 2020 Census would be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic since census monitors are usually sent door-to-door to collect the most accurate data possible. Ross said his department is ready to be flexible on how it goes about collecting the new demographics.
"We'll just have to play it by ear," Ross told the Senate appropriations subcommittee. While he didn’t provide any details on contingency planning, he noted that the Commerce Department has "done as much as we can to be ready for whatever contingency comes up."
Ross said a group of people at the Census Bureau's headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, are monitoring 24/7 for coronavirus outbreaks and changes in health warnings to alert the bureau's senior managers for any potential changes to 2020 Census plans.
The US Census Bureau made a soft launch of the 2020 census website on Monday, making its form available online. On Thursday, the Census Bureau will begin mailing out notices far and wide. Concerns are mounting that the coronavirus outbreak will prevent some census monitors from going door to door to collect the most accurate data possible.
Ross emphasized that households can respond to the 2020 Census online, which "doesn't involve any physical contact with people." Households can also respond on paper and over the phone.
Security experts are also warning that the census is more vulnerable than usual, subjecting the process to possible foreign interferences similar to those that have impacted the elections.
“Because of coronavirus you may see even more of a reliance on the online census,” said Marcus Fowler, a former CIA cyber expert and director of Strategic Threat at Darkface, a cyber security company.
According to Fowler, 2018 beta tests revealed that some 60% of participants opted to use the online version of the census and that number could be even higher with participants not wanting to leave their homes due to coronavirus fears.
“Any number of people might have a reason to disrupt the census,” which takes place once every 10 years and carries significant political and demographic weight, Fowler said. He added that the census website could also fail on its own merit, due to large-scale use.
He warned that scam groups may also take advantage of coronavirus fears and send out phishing scams linked to the census.
1:42 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
3 coronavirus cases connected to South Florida seaport
From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt
US Vice President Mike Pence holds a discussion with Cruise Line Company Leaders about possible coronavirus issues at Port Everglades Administration Building in Fort Lauderdale, on Saturday, March 7. JLN Photography/Shutterstock
The state of Florida has issued new guidance for people traveling through Port Everglades in Broward County due to the number of coronavirus cases identified at the port.
At least three coronavirus patients have been linked to Port Everglades, a seaport for cruises and commercial ships. All three of those cases are connected to Metro Cruise Services, according to a statement from Florida's Joint Information Center on COVID-19.
Metro Cruise Services provides cruise terminal management, terminal security services, ground guest services and shore excursions, according to the company website
Due to the coronavirus cases at Port Everglades, officials are now recommending the following:
All individuals experiencing symptoms who have recently traveled through Port Everglades should immediately contact their county health department or health care provider and self-isolate for 14 days, health department officials said.
The department also recommends employees of Metro Cruise Services at Port Everglades with any association to these cases self-isolate at home.
The department is working to connect with all employees at Metro Cruise Services who may have come into contact with the three individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to provide the employees with the appropriate guidance and monitoring.
Metro Cruise Services responded to CNN by saying “no comment.”
1:12 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
Why are governors declaring a "state of emergency"?
By CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
You hear it any time there is a natural disaster like a hurricane, an earthquake or now a viral pandemic: The governor has "declared a state of emergency."
Multiple states have already made such declarations with regard to coronavirus.
A declaration also focuses the entire state government on dealing with the emergency, and, hopefully, makes citizens sit up and pay a little more attention.
A man in his 60s is the first New Jersey patient to die from coronavirus, the New Jersey's governor's office announce.
“We are sad to report the first death in a case of COVID-19 in New Jersey. Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time. We remain vigilant to doing all we can — across all levels of government — to protect the people of New Jersey," the office said in a statement.
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Shelia Oliver also announced today that there are four new presumptive positive cases in the state, brining the total number of cases to 15 statewide.
1:34 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
Schools and facilities will close for 2 weeks in this 1-mile containment area in a New York City suburb
State of New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a containment area will be set up in the city of New Rochelle as Westchester County works to stop the spread of coronavirus. Schools and facilities within will be closed for two weeks, and the National Guard will deploy to this area to help support the community.
Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said the area is a circle with a radius of about one mile.
Starting on Thursday, facilities and schools within the area will be closed for two weeks. The National Guard will help deliver food to homes and clean public spaces in the containment area, Cuomo said, describing the plan as a "dramatic action."
This will go on through March 25.
“We’ll go in, we’ll clean the schools and assess the situation," Cuomo said. “This will be a period of disruption for the community.”
Cuomo described it as a “matter of life and death.”
New York is also setting up a satellite testing facility, partnering with Northwell Health, in New Rochelle, which is in Westchester County.
New Rochelle is “a particular problem,” Cuomo said, adding that “the numbers have been going up, the numbers continue to go up, the numbers are going up unabated.”
Cuomo stressed the shutting facilities in the area is a "dramatic action" that applies to “large congregate facilities for gatherings,” including schools and temples, but not "everything."
12:47 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
Greece closes all schools and universities for 2 weeks
From CNN’s Chris Liakos in Greece
A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant inside a classroom at a high school in Athens, Greece on Friday, March 6. Panayotis Tzamaros/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Greece will close all schools and universities across the country for the next 14 days because of coronavirus fears, the Greek health minister announced.
The closure impacts all day care centers and education establishments beginning Thursday, Vassilis Kikilias said.
The country's Health Ministry has confirmed five more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in Greece to 89.
12:56 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
US public health labs have run 4,856 coronavirus tests, CDC says
From CNN's Amanda Watts
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said 4,856 novel coronavirus tests have been run in public health labs across the United States.
Redfield said that number, which was last updated on Monday, does not include clinical labs or private labs.
While speaking at a House Appropriations hearing for the 2021 CDC budget, Redfield said the CDC is working on a new reporting system to track tests which should be available soon.
“We've got a new reporting system that has CDC, public health labs. We're going to get direct dumps from LabCorp and Quest so people are going to see all the tests done, where they are done. We will have a surveillance system that does that,” Redfield said.
Earlier Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the department does not know how many Americans have been tested for coronavirus.
12:27 p.m. ET, March 10, 2020
There are more than 170 coronavirus cases across New York
There are 173 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York State, up 31 from yesterday, according to the New York Governor.
This includes an additional 17 cases in New York City, bringing the city’s total to 36.
Westchester County has 108 cases and continues to be the county with the most confirmed cases.
