March 13 coronavirus news

There are at least 1696 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, there are 70 cases from repatriated citizens. According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems, there are 1626 cases in 48 states and the District of Columbia, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 1696. In total, 41 people have died. 

Currently, Idaho and West Virginia are the only two states with no cases.

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.

President Trump just announced he'll hold a news conference about coronavirus at 3 p.m. ET today.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he spoke to Vice President Mike Pence yesterday and told him, “I think the federal government should decentralize testing,” rather than trying to control it all through Washington, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration.

The “volume is just too high,” Cuomo said.

He suggested 500 to 1,000 labs could open overnight if the responsibility is returned back to state. There are dozens of labs in NY that could start testing tomorrow, Cuomo said

He hopes the federal government takes the recommendation seriously.

Cuomo has been pushing in recent days that automated tests be approved by the FDA which would significantly increase testing capacity.

A White House official tells CNN they are planning for a coronavirus briefing today. 

Vice President Mike Pence's current public schedule says he will attend a meeting with industry executives at 1:30 p.m. ET and will then lead a coronavirus task force meeting in the situation room at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Pence has been leading the coronavirus response efforts.

There is not a briefing yet on the public schedule. 

The drive-through testing facility for coronavirus in New Rochelle, New York, can handle 6 lanes and up to 200 cars a day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

He said its “faster, easier” as well as “smarter and safer” especially since this doesn’t expose people who would otherwise go into an office.

He said officials are prioritizing people in New Rochelle — the New York City suburb which is the site of a containment zone — first as well as vulnerable populations. But people all throughout Westchester County can be served.

The medical staff will take the swabs and send it to Bioreference lab, which will do the testing.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has declared a 15-day state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic. 

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh just announced that the Boston Marathon will be postponed.

The new date for the marathon is September 14.

The marathon also just tweeted this:

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing colleges and universities to cancel classes, U-Haul is stepping in to help students who suddenly have to move out of their dorms.

The moving storage company is offering 30-day free self-storage, U-Haul said this week.

Some colleges — like Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Berea College and Cornell University — have asked students to vacate their on-campus housing for the rest of the semester. That's left students scrambling to find last-minute housing, storage and transportation.

How this works: Students can reserve a U-Haul truck, trailer or a U-Box — a portable moving and storage container that can be stored in U-Haul warehouses — by showing the company their college IDs.

Students can also get Collegeboxes, a kit of five standard-sized boxes, shipped to them for free. Once all the belongings are packed, the company will pick up the boxes from a dorm or apartment to be shipped anywhere across the globe or stored in a U-Haul facility. 

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, has announced that the 2020 Masters tournament has been postponed.

Ridley said in a statement: