March 14 coronavirus news

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.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with President Trump today about coronavirus and to update the US leader on the status of Canada's first lady, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Trudeau isolated himself after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week.

Grégoire Trudeau had mild symptoms and will remain in isolation for 14 days, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement late Thursday.

She came down with mild flu-like symptoms Wednesday following a speaking engagement in the UK. Health officials are reaching out to those who've been in contact with her, the office said

Read Trump's message below:

French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced on Saturday that his country will increase social distancing to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. 

In a televised press conference, Philippe said that starting at midnight Saturday all places that are not essential to French living, including restaurants, cafes, cinemas and clubs, will be closed.

The closure order includes all businesses except those that are essential.

Philippe acknowledged that the French people find the concept of social distancing repugnant, "because we are a people that likes to gather, a joyful people, a people that likes to live together... Maybe even more when fear starts to spread."

“We have seen too many people in cafes and restaurants. In usual times, this would make me happy. Because this is the France we all love. But for a few weeks, this is not what we should be doing," Philippe added.

The Toronto Raptors, the defending NBA champions, have issued a statement saying that all members of the organization who were tested for COVD-19 have received their test results and they are all currently negative. 

The Raptors played against the Utah Jazz on Monday March 9 before it was revealed that two members of the Jazz tested positive for COVID-19.

President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence said today that the administration is considering some domestic travel restrictions, specifically with regards to certain areas hard hit with the coronavirus.

Trump did not provide any specifics or a possible timeframe.

“We are considering a broad range of measures,” Pence added during the briefing.

There have been internal discussions about restricting travel to areas in Washington state and other places considered “hot spots” for the virus. It’s unclear how far along they are in implementing them, people familiar with the matter told CNN. 

There are preliminary conversations about halting some air or train travel between some major US cities as a potential additional step going forward.

Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Department of Transportation officials have discussed possibilities with the coronavirus task force, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Some flights have already slowed to those places and there’s an expectation that if other hotspots pop up, flights would similarly slow down due to lack of demand, which might mean they don’t need to put formal restrictions in place.

Ecuador has reported its second coronavirus-related death, according to a press conference held by Health Minister Catalina Andramuno on Saturday. 

There are currently a total of 28 confirmed cases nationwide, according to Andramuno.

Italy’s Civil Protection Agency says 175 people have died from coronavirus since Friday, raising the death toll to 1,441 across the country.

The total number of positive cases registered in Italy reached 20,455 on Saturday, with an increase of 2,795 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, the agency reported.