March 14 coronavirus news

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced at a news conference Saturday that people in Spain are banned from leaving their houses with the exception of:

If people do leave their houses for any of those exceptions, they must go out by themselves, Sanchez said.

All public schools in North Carolina will be closed for at least two weeks starting Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced during a Saturday news conference.

The governor is issuing an executive order banning any gatherings of 100 people or more, he said.

The executive order is in response to people not following the guidance previously given by the governor’s office, Cooper said.

There are at least 2,548 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A total of 50 people have died as of Saturday afternoon.

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 public health systems, there are 2,548 cases in 49 states, the District of Columbia and US territories.

The South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners and the state's Board of Nursing will begin issuing temporary licenses to out-of-state medical professionals during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a news release from Gov. Henry McMaster.

The Medical Board can issue temporary licenses for out-of-state physicians, physician assistants and respiratory care practitioners within 24 hours, the release said. There is no fee for these 90-day temporary licenses, the release said.

For nurses, South Carolina is part of the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC), meaning registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) from 32 other states can work in South Carolina at any time, the release states. The SC Board of Nursing can also expedite licenses of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), as well as RNs and LPNs from non-compact states. The license is good for 15 days, but may be renewed, the release said.

The Dallas Municipal Court is rescheduling trials and jury duty in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to a news release from the city of Dallas.

All cases set for trial from Monday to April 3 will be rescheduled to a later date, the release said.

All other hearings -- including pre-trial, contested and show cause hearings -- will continue as normal, according to the release.

The Bahamas is not allowing the MS Braemar cruise ship, which has five coronavirus cases on board, to dock.

The White House said today it will start conducting temperature checks for individuals who come into close contact with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On Saturday, a member of the White House physician's office, accompanied by a press aide, made the rounds, taking the temperature of members of the media ahead of Trump, Pence and the White House task force's news conference.

Earlier today: A journalist was denied entry into the press briefing after having a temperature of 99.9 degrees.

The reporter, who was trying to gain access to the briefing, was turned away and held by the press office on the White House driveway. CNN was present for one of the temperature checks and saw the thermometer read 99.9 degrees.

Two cruise ships with about 1,300 people on board are now quarantined off the coast of Chile as one passenger tested positive for coronavirus, Chile's Health Minister Jaime Manalich said during a press conference in Santiago on Saturday.

Manalich said an 83-year-old English man tested positive and is being treated at the Coyhaique hospital “in good condition." He was on board the Silver Explorer, a luxury expedition cruise ship.

The Silver Explorer is now docked in the city of Castro, the minister said.

The vessel is carrying 111 passengers and 120 crew members, according to Chilean officials.

And a second ship, the Azamara Pursuit, has not reported any cases but remains under quarantine; there are two suspected cases on that ship.

“We have a cruise ship with the name of Azamara which originated in the Argentinean city of Ushuaia that began its journey on March 8 carrying 675 passengers and 389 crewmembers,” the minister said.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed an emergency order to halt residential evictions in order to prevent Seattle families from losing their homes as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement released from the mayor’s office on Saturday.

The temporary moratorium goes into effect immediately for any residential eviction action related to the non-payment of rent, the statement reads.