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March 12 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Sheena McKenzie and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 0206 GMT (1006 HKT) March 13, 2020

32 Posts

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8:30 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Viking Cruises will temporarily suspend cruise operations until May

The Viking Sun, operated by Viking Cruises, at London's Greenwich Pier in August 2019. Credit: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

Viking Cruises announced today that it is temporarily suspending cruise operations until May, in response to the coronavirus situation.

"We have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend operations of our river and ocean vessels embarking from March 12 to April 30, 2020 – at which time we believe Viking will be in a better place to provide the experiences our guests expect and deserve," said the statement.
"This is a decision we made with a heavy heart, but with present circumstances what they are, we are unable to deliver the high-quality Viking experience for which we are known."

The statement also said guests who already booked cruises during that period would be offered a voucher for a future cruise worth 125% the original cruise price, or a total refund for the amount paid.

3:14 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Staff on an Australian TV talk show are in quarantine after Rita Wilson's appearance

Rita Wilson at WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" on February 27 in Beverly Hills, California. Credit: Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for WCRF

Staff from the Australian morning talk show “Today Extra” will be quarantined after coming into “prolonged contact” with actress and singer Rita Wilson, who was a guest on the program on Monday.

The show airs on CNN’s affiliated Nine Network.

Rita Wilson and her husband Tom Hanks announced earlier today that they had contracted the coronavirus. The couple are now being treated in Australia's Queensland state, said the state premier.

After the diagnosis, Nine Network enacted its “crisis response plan," it said in a statement.

"Today Extra" hosts David Campbell and Belinda Russell are now undergoing testing for the virus. Speaking on Radio 2GB today, Campbell added that he would pull his children . out of school while waiting for test results, and that Wilson "didn't seem to have any symptoms of anything."

3:04 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

If you're just joining us, here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic

Workers clean a subway station in New York City on Wednesday. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A lot has happened in the past few hours. Here's the latest:

This is now a pandemic: The World Health Organization has announced the new classification of the novel coronavirus as a pandemic, but cautioned that this doesn't mean the global health watchdog or individual countries will change their response. Calling it a pandemic just formally acknowledges that the virus is deadly, has spread worldwide, and has sustained person-to-person transmission.
The US has new travel restrictions: President Trump announced earlier today that travel from 26 countries to the US will be suspended for the next 30 days, beginning Friday at midnight. Several European ambassadors in the US say they had no warning of the announcement, and are still working to figure out what the restrictions mean.
Basketball is on hold: The NBA is suspending its regular season, after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. The test result was reported just before the tip-off of Wednesday night's game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena, which was immediately canceled.
Tom Hanks infected: The two-time Academy Award winning actor and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have been diagnosed with coronavirus and are being treated in Australia's Queensland state.
Cases rise worldwide: The US reported more cases today from several states -- 43 states and the District of Columbia have reported infections. Australia, India, China, and South Korea are among the countries also reporting new infections today. As cases rise, major events around the world are being canceled, schools are being suspended and classes moved online, and people are staying home under self quarantine.

8:13 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

The US now has 1,272 coronavirus cases and 38 deaths

The United States has at least 1,272 cases of the coronavirus and 38 deaths, according to state and local health agencies and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

70 cases are repatriated citizens, like those evacuated from China or from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

1,202 cases were detected on US soil, spread out across 43 states and the District of Columbia.

These include presumptive positive cases that are still pending final confirmation from the CDC labs.

8:30 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

EU Council President warns of economic disruption after Trump announces travel ban

Charles Michel, the European Union's council president, tweeted that the EU would "assess the situation today" after President Trump's earlier announcement banning travel from 26 European countries to the US.

"Economic disruption must be avoided," Michel said in the tweet.

Trump made the announcement in a televised address to the nation; European ambassadors in Washington say they weren't informed beforehand, and that the US State Department only began making calls to ambassadors with the news after Trump had spoken.

8:13 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

China quarantine hotel collapse left 29 people dead

From CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing

Emergency workers conducting search and rescue after a hotel collapsed in Quanzhou, in China's eastern Fujian province on March 8. Credit: Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

A total of 29 people have died after last week's collapse of a quarantine hotel in southeastern China, according to Chinese state media.

A hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine center collapsed Saturday night with 80 people inside the building when it came down. Nine people escaped, leaving 71 trapped under the rubble.

All 71 are now accounted for, after nearly five days of search and rescue operations, according to state media.

At the time of the collapse, 58 of the 80 people were under quarantine in the hotel and all had tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

8:16 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

India confirms 8 more coronavirus cases, raising national total to 68

From CNN's Swati Gupta

An Indian policeman looks out from a tent at an isolation ward set up for possible coronavirus patients in Jammu, India, on Wednesday, March 11. AP Photo/Channi Anand

India has confirmed eight more coronavirus cases in the state of Maharashtra, according to the state's chief minister.

Two of those cases were in the city of Mumbai, and six in Pune city. The patients are under observation in hospitals.

That raises the state's total to 10 cases, and the national total to 68.

8:14 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Maryland reports 3 more coronavirus cases

Maryland has announced three additional cases of coronavirus, bringing the state total to 12.

The three new cases are:

A Montgomery County resident in his 20s who recently traveled to Spain, and is not hospitalized.
A Baltimore County resident in his 60s who worked at the recent American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, DC, and is not hospitalized.
A Prince George’s County resident in his 60s whose travel history is under investigation, and is currently hospitalized.

Last week, the AIPAC announced that some people may have become exposed to an infected case, including several political leaders at the conference in DC.

Vice President Mike Pence and many lawmakers and aides attended the conference.

“Marylanders should be taking this pandemic very seriously,” said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in a news release. “All Marylanders need to understand that there may be significant disruption to your everyday lives for a period of time."

8:27 a.m. ET, March 12, 2020

California cruise ship passengers arrive in Georgia to start their quarantine

Medical personnel help load passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship onto airplanes in Oakland, California, on Tuesday. Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

American passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was docked in California after infections were found onboard, landed early Thursday local time at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia.

The passengers had been screened by the Department of Health and Human Services and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before arriving. They will now begin a 14-day quarantine as a precaution, in case they were exposed to the coronavirus aboard the ship.

The CDC is responsible for all aspects of the quarantine operation, and Dobbins personnel will have no contact with these passengers

The passengers who landed today are part of the second wave -- some passengers had been sent to Dobbins earlier this week, while others were sent to the Travis Air Force Base in California for their quarantine.