March 12 coronavirus news

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

Updated 0206 GMT (1006 HKT) March 13, 2020

146 Posts

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3:40 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Supreme Court building to close to the public

Beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET, the Supreme Court building will be closed to the public until further notice, according to a note sent out by the court's public information officer.

The building will remain open for official business, and case filing deadlines are not extended under Rule 30.1, according to the statement.

Rule 30.1 of the "Rules of the Supreme Court" reads:

In the computation of any period of time prescribed or allowed by these Rules, by order of the Court, or by an applicable statute, the day of the act, event, or default from which the designated period begins to run is not included. The last day of the period shall be included, unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday listed in 5 U. S. C. § 6103, or day on which the Court building is closed by order of the Court or the Chief Justice, in which event the period shall extend until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday, or day on which the Court building is closed.

3:47 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

NFL cancels annual league meetings

From CNN's David Close

The National Football League has announced the cancellation of its annual league meetings that were scheduled to start on March 29 in Palm Beach, Florida.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement does not address April’s annual NFL Draft, set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.

3:50 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Los Angeles City Hall will close over coronavirus concerns

Los Angeles City Hall will close to all non-city hall employees, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced at a news conference.

All large public events have been canceled or postponed, and meetings will move to video conferencing until the emergency ends, the mayor said.

Additional hand washing and sanitizing stations are being set up in public buildings and all non-essential travel is being stopped.

Noting that Los Angeles has seen earthquakes, unrest, and fires, the mayor expressed his confidence that the city will survive this outbreak as well. He called on the public to take part, saying “We are all first responders in this emergency.”

3:51 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Miami mayor is in self-quarantine after being in same room as Brazilian president and entourage

From CNN's Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has gone into self-quarantine after he was in the room with Brazil's president and his entourage, according to a video message that was played during a news conference.

In the recorded video message, Suarez said he was in the same room as Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and his entourage. Suarez said he feels well, but he has taken this step out of an abundance of caution.

More on this: Concerns arose among political officials after a Brazilian government aide tested positive for coronavirus.

Fabio Wajngarten, Brazilian president's press secretary, tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, according an official statement from the Brazilian president’s office, Thursday.

The health of the Brazilian president is being monitored.

Wajngarten was with Bolsonaro on last weekend’s US trip, during which the Brazilian president dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Largo. Wajngarten posted a picture of himself with Trump on Instagram a few days ago.

3:53 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

New York governor bans all gatherings of more than 500 people

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that the state is banning all gatherings of more than 500 people.

He said that for gatherings of 0-500, they are reducing the occupancy by 50%. "So 50% of your seated capacity is the new capacity for your facility."

He said the mandate goes into effect 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday.

3:39 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

More than 400,000 US students will be out of school

From CNN’s Chuck Johnston, Chris Boyette, Andie Garcia and James Froio

School districts in at least five states have announced long-term school closures for K-12 public school students.

That means 403,233 students will be out of school over the coming days.

Here's we know about the closures:

Connecticut: Officials announced long-term closures for Stamford Public Schools, New Haven Public Schools, and Westport Public Schools. In total, at least 42,802 students attend the three school districts.
Tennessee: Shelby County School District announced a long-term closure beginning Firday that will effect at least 100,000 students in their school district.
New York: Three schools in the New Rochelle School District are closed through March 25: New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School.
Virginia: Loudon County Public Schools canceled schools starting Thursday and going through March 20 due to fears of the coronavirus. The school district is home to over 80,000 students.
Washington state: At least eight school districts have announced long-term school closures effecting at least 128,174 students. Seattle Public Schools, Lake Washington School District, and Shoreline School District all begin their long-term closures Thursday. Snohomish County School District, Edmonds School District, Riverview School District, and Bellevue School District announce closures in the coming days. Northshore School District begin online instruction earlier this week.

3:31 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Amtrak workers are concerned about coronavirus exposure and possible layoffs, union official says

From CNN's Greg Wallace

John Feltz, director of the Transport Workers Union train division — which represents workers at Amtrak, seven regional passenger rail lines, and three major freight rail lines — says workers are very concerned about potentially contracting coronavirus or losing their jobs.

“We are all very concerned for ourselves and our families with the virus that’s going on,” he said. “They are very concerned and yet they do go to work every day.”

The concern is particularly strong among coach cleaners who do the disinfecting of trains. He said they’ve been given protective gear like gloves, “but you never know what could happen at any time.”

He said rail companies may look to labor for cost savings. “If they feel they’re losing money, the first place they cut on is labor.”

2:28 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

New York has 328 coronavirus cases

New York has 328 cases of coronavirus, with 112 new cases, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

Here's where the cases are located in the state:

2:58 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell says he tested positive for coronavirus

Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell admitted that he has tested positive for coronavirus.

Mitchell posted the news on his verified Instagram account. On Thursday, ESPN and other media outlets, reported that his teammate Rudy Gobert and now Mitchell have tested positive for coronavirus.

Here's what Mitchell said.

“Thanks to everyone who has been reaching out since hearing the news about my positive test. We are all learning more about the seriousness of this situation and hopefully people can continue to educate themselves and realize that they need to behave responsibly both for their own health and for the well being of those around them. I appreciate the authorities in Oklahoma who were helpful with the testing process and everyone from the @utahjazz who have been so supportive. I am going to keep following the advice of our medical staff and hope that we can all come together and be there for each other and our neighbors who need our help”

Earlier on Thursday, the Jazz revealed that two of their players had tested positive for coronavirus. The Jazz have not named either player.

CNN Sports has reached out multiple times to the Jazz and the League but has not gotten a reply.