March 12 coronavirus news

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday urged other activists to avoid public gatherings and move climate strikes online due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Thunberg added, "We’ll have to find new ways to create public awareness & advocate for change that don’t involve too big crowds ... So keep your numbers low but your spirits high and let’s take one week at the time."

The 17-year-old activist asked followers to join "#DigitalStrike" on Fridays by posting a photo of striking and using the hashtags #ClimateStrikeOnline #fridaysforfuture #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate.

The National Basketball Association was considering several different scenarios to keep players and fans safe as the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States grew more severe.

But when one of its players came down with the virus, North America's most progressive sports league went with the nuclear option: they shut it all down.

The NBA chose to indefinitely postpone its regular season, a decision that will almost certainly cost the league millions of dollars in revenue in the short term.

The decision was unprecedented. It left league insiders shocked. Players appeared to have no idea it was coming. Outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's jaw literally dropped when he saw the announcement.

Few are faulting league commissioner Adam Silver for taking such extreme measures to keep people safe, but the financial impact will be massive. The NBA and its teams have television contracts worth billions of dollars to air games that may no longer take place. Thousands of fans have purchased tickets to watch those games.

Those revenues don’t just help pay the multimillion dollar salaries for NBA players, coaches and executives – they help pay for janitors to clean arenas, the staff who sell food and concessions, and the security guards who keep fans and players safe.

But perhaps even more importantly is what this decision means for the other big US sports leagues, and sports around the world. The NHL is in the middle of its regular season. Europe's soccer leagues are in full swing (save for Serie A in Italy, which is suspended while the country is on lockdown.) Major League Baseball kicks off later this month. Euro 2020 is this summer. The Tokyo Olympics kick off in July, and then the NFL will start up again in August.

The NBA has in recent years enjoyed a reputation as North America's most progressive sports league and has not shied away from sacrificing profits to stand behind its values.

Its decision to postpone games means the pressure is now on other sports leagues to follow suit, especially if the outbreak continues to increase unabated.

If they do not, they risk appearing as if they value profits over player and fan safety.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country has 140 cases of the coronavirus in a statement earlier today. He didn't provide any breakdown of the numbers and their corresponding states.

It's a jump from just a few hours ago, when the country’s Ministry of Health released a statement reporting 126 cases nationwide.

Morrison also unveiled an $11.4 billion economic stimulus plan today, which will include wage subsidies and cash payments for small businesses, to counter the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Several hours after he spoke, shock waves are still reverberating globally following President Donald Trump's announcement of a travel ban for much of Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here's what has happened since our last catch-up:

Correction: This post was updated to correctly identify actor Tom Hanks as having contracted the novel coronavirus

Wyoming has confirmed its first coronavirus case, the state's Department of Health said in a news release.

The patient is a woman from Sheridan County who has recently traveled domestically.

The state health department said it is working “to learn more details about the person’s exposure risk and to identify and communicate with anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient.”

44 states infected: That means 44 out of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have now reported coronavirus cases.

The number of patients in the United States has doubled since Sunday.

The new numbers bring the national total to 1,274 cases, including 70 cases of citizens repatriated from abroad.

Canceling the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games would be "unthinkable," Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said today.

Olympic organizers have insisted for the past month that preparations for the Games are proceeding as planned. On Thursday, the organizers said they were monitoring the situation.

Here's their statement:

Cancelling or postponing the Games would be a massive and financially costly move -- but other major sporting events have been suspended amid the pandemic, including the NBA regular season.

Tokyo 2020 is due to officially begin on July 24.

Pope Francis dedicated Thursday’s homily to Italian authorities, asking people to support the government during the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities often feel “alone” during times like these, but “it’s for everyone’s common good,” the Pope said.

Italy was placed under total lockdown on Monday -- meaning schools are closed, movement restricted, events canceled, public services suspended, and many public spaces are empty as people stay home.

Italy now has the most coronavirus cases outside of China.

European shares have fallen sharply at the open, as investors react to new travel restrictions from the US.

President Trump announced late Wednesday night local time that the US was suspending travel from 26 European countries for the next 30 days, effective Friday midnight.

In the opening minutes of trade, Europe's main markets were all down. The FTSE 100 was down more than 2%, the German Dax was 5% lower and the French CAC 40 fell 3%.

Airline stocks were among the big fallers. IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia, was down 7%, Lufthansa was down 9% and Ryanair was down nearly 10%.

Shockwaves were felt in Asia too. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped into a bear market, defined as a drop of more than 20% from the most recent high. The benchmark index closed down 4.4%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) was last down 3.6%, while South Korea's Kospi (KOSPI) closed down 3.9%. Both indexes are flirting with bear market territory.

These countries are affected: The 26 countries included in the ban are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who turns 75 this month, will be tested for the coronavirus, according to a Facebook post by presidential aide Bong Go.

The decision was taken after some cabinet members were exposed to confirmed cases of the virus and are now under self-quarantine, according to the post.

The Philippines confirmed 15 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the national total to 35.