Drive-through testing sites spring up across America
From CNN's Tina Burnside
Medical workers at a Kaiser Permanente French Campus test a patient for the novel coronavirus at a drive-thru testing facility in San Francisco, California on March 12. Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
A federal pilot program to implement drive-up testing sites will be operational by midweek, according to a news release.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement that the city would participate in the program.
This is a crisis," she said. "This is real. You have to pay attention. The news this morning of a second death in Orleans Parish is heartbreaking, personally -- and is additional tragic news for the people of our City. We are losing loved ones. We all have a role to play -- every resident in this City. 'Social distancing' isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way to save lives and slow the spread of this infection in our community."
Drive-through testing sites are also in the works in Broward County, Florida to help respond to the high number of Covid-19 cases there, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference on Sunday.
DeSantis said that the state of Florida had deployed hundreds of national guardsmen to the county to help supplement its medical team. As of Sunday, 170 national guardsmen were in Broward, with hundreds more expected to arrive in the county on Monday.
9:40 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
Virgin Atlantic will ground 75% of its fleet and ask staffers to take 8 weeks unpaid leave
A Virgin Atlantic plane comes in to land at Heathrow Airport in London, England, on March 10. Credit: Steve Parsons/PA Images/Getty Image
Virgin Atlantic said it will reduce 80% of its flights per day by March 26, grounding approximately 75% of its fleet. At points in April, that will go up to 85%.
The airline said it will terminate its London Heathrow-Newark route permanently with immediate effect.
Among other measures announced, it will also ask its staff to take eight weeks unpaid leave over the next three months, with the cost spread over six months' salary, to drastically reduce costs without job losses, Virgin Atlantic said in a statement.
Here's more from the statement:
“The aviation industry is facing unprecedented pressure. We are appealing to the Government for clear, decisive and unwavering support. Our industry needs emergency credit facilities to a value of £57.5bn, to bolster confidence and to prevent credit card processors from withholding customer payments. We also need slot alleviation for the full summer 2020 season, so we can match supply to demand – reducing costs and preventing unviable flying and corresponding CO2 emissions. With this support, airlines including Virgin Atlantic, can weather this storm and emerge in a position to assist the nation’s economic recovery and provide the passenger and cargo connectivity that business and people across the country rely on," Virgin Atlantic said.
9:47 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
Passengers removed from flight in India because UK national with coronavirus was on board
From CNN's Swati Gupta and Esha Mitra
All passengers were taken off a flight scheduled to depart from the Indian state of Kerala for Dubai on Sunday morning after officials learnt that a UK national who had tested positive for the coronavirus was on board, an Emirates spokesperson said.
The UK citizen had been touring Munnar, a hill station in the southern Indian state, and was under surveillance after testing positive for the coronavirus, the spokesperson said.
He and his wife were a part of a group of 19 British tourists who were also among the 290 passengers removed from the flight at Cochin International Airport in Kochi.
"Fifteen minutes prior to departure we learnt that a UK national who had tested positive for coronavirus was onboard the flight," said the Emirates spokesperson. The 19 tourists and one Indian national were isolated at the airport, and the remaining 270 passengers took the flight to Dubai after a three-hour delay.
"The husband and wife have been sent to a local hospital for quarantine and further tests while the remaining group of tourists has been quarantined at a makeshift facility at a hotel near the airport," said P.S. Jayan, a spokesperson for Cochin International Airport. The Indian national was let go as he was not under suspicion of contracting the virus, Jayan added.
An American couple who had flown from London to Kochi earlier this month were apprehended at the same airport on Friday while trying to fly to Doha, after an alert was issued by a hospital.
They had visited the hospital earlier that day because the woman was suffering from diarrhoea. After examination, staff asked that they be tested for coronavirus and quarantined until the results came back. The couple left the hospital without taking the test.
They are currently under quarantine in hospital.
9:38 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
Borders between Spain and Portugal will close because of coronavirus restrictions
From CNN’s Mia Alberti
Spanish Civil Guard officers work at a checkpoint on the Spanish-Portuguese border between Tui and Valenca, on Monday. Credit: Migeul Riopa/AFP/Getty Images
Borders between Spain and Portugal will be closed by the end of Monday, leaving only nine active crossings open to allow for the transit of products and workers who are required to cross the border, Portugal’s Minister of Internal Affairs Eduardo Cabrita said today at a news conference.
According to Cabrita, the decision – which was made jointly by authorities in Spain and Portugal – will see continued coordination between the two countries to ensure that the flow of essential goods will not be affected.
"The economy has to keep going, and so it is essential to guarantee the transport of food and essential products within the EU,” Cabrita said, confirming that all those required to cross the border will be receive health checks, including truck drivers.
Portugal’s Minister of Internal Affairs added that officials will also be enforcing new controls at airports, with temperature checks on all passengers.
The new measures come as part of a wider look at air operations between Spain and Portugal, with upcoming talks between Cabrita and his Spanish counterpart expected to focus on a potential ban on incoming flights from Spain.
9:27 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
There's just one coronavirus briefing today
From CNN's Betsy Klein
Vice President Mike Pence’s Monday schedule includes a task force meeting in the Roosevelt Room at 9 a.m. ET, as well as a briefing on coronavirus at 3:30 p.m. ET.
There will be just one briefing today, according to the Vice President’s spokeswoman Katie Miller.
“Just one. We want to be accurate and present the guidance,” she tells CNN.
During Sunday’s press briefing, Pence suggested there would be two: “We will be back in the morning tomorrow for a briefing. And also, we'll have a health briefing in the afternoon.”
11:21 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
Paris will close all of its parks and gardens
People gather at the grounds of Les Invalides in Paris, France, on March 15. Credit: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
The city of Paris announced today the closure within a few hours of all public parks and gardens in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
In a statement, the city did not mention how long the closure would last but said these venues would be closed on Tuesday.
9:28 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
Michigan to order all bars and restaurants to close
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks about coronavirus cases during a press conference at the Michigan State Police headquarters in Windsor Township, Michigan, on March 10. Credit: David Eggert/AP
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will order all bars and restaurants to close at 3 p.m. ET today, according to her spokeswoman Tiffany Brown.
Restaurants will be be allowed to serve takeout and delivery only, Brown said.
9:30 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
The UK is a global outlier in its coronavirus response. That might start to change later today
From CNN's Luke McGee
From left: Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance speak during a press conference in London, England, on March 9. Credit: Alberto Pezzali/WPA Pool/Getty Images
The UK government is walking a tightrope in its response to the coronavirus outbreak
On one hand, it is doing everything it can to keep the public calm, and delay taking the most drastic measures to prevent the spread until absolutely necessary.
On the other, it is scrambling to let the British public know that it's taking this pandemic seriously.
Over the weekend, public criticism that the government's response had been less drastic than that of other countries -- and accusations that it was playing roulette with the nation's health -- led to confusing briefings from government officials. And those briefings in some cases seemed to directly contradict what Prime Minister Boris Johnson had told the nation in a high-profile press conference days earlier.
Over the weekend, suggestions that over-70s would be placed in lengthy quarantine and that public gatherings could soon be banned caused confusion among the public, soon after the prime minister had urged the public to remain calm and explained why these measures were not being taken immediately.
Last Thursday, flanked by the UK's chief medical officer and chief scientific advisor, Johnson explained that even as the nation upped its response to the virus, it would not be shutting schools or banning mass gatherings. Johnson explained that the scientific evidence suggested that doing so would not do anything to prevent the spread and could have a negative impact on the National Health Service.
This slow approach made the UK an outlier, as its response was less strict than its European counterparts. It didn't take long for Johnson's critics to accuse him of playing roulette with the nation's health. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the respected medical journal The Lancet, tweeted: "What is happening in Italy is real and taking place now. Our government is not preparing us for that reality. We need immediate and assertive social distancing and closure policies. We need to prepare the NHS. This is a serious plea."
Government sources acknowledged to CNN on Monday that the longer-term scenario was moving faster than initially expected. They explained that the number of confirmed cases had grown quicker than planned and that the number of elderly people testing positive had caused the government to move faster than they'd have initially liked to. "There is an approach that hasn’t changed but might have accelerated depending on the evidence," said one government minister.
Impartial civil servants working directly on the government's response to Covid-19 are less generous, claiming that Johnson's inner circle was caught off guard. "I don't think Number 10 are taking it seriously enough. Lots of people are very lax ... Number 10 are taking the approach of being the last people standing," one civil servant told CNN.
Downing Street was approached for comment on not taking it seriously enough but had declined to respond at time of publication
However, for all the noise over the weekend, very little has actually so far changed in terms of policy. For the time being, this is more government officials putting out fires than anything else.
Downing Street is being uncharacteristically helpful and responsive to journalist questions over its Covid-19 response and has committed to giving daily press briefings.
Johnson will give the first of these later today. It will be the first indication of whether or not this flurry of activity over the weekend actually marks a serious change in government policy, or if the Johnson is happy that the UK remains a global outlier.
9:17 a.m. ET, March 16, 2020
Ukraine International Airlines suspends all international flights
Ukraine International Airlines has suspended all international scheduled flights starting tomorrow through March 31, based on the decision of the country's government to temporarily ban foreigners from entering Ukraine.
Passengers who plan to fly starting from April 1 are advised to keep themselves updated on flight schedule and status changes.
Tomorrow, Ukraine International will operate flights from 11 cities to Kyiv. Only the citizens of Ukraine and foreigners with permanent or temporary residency permits will be accepted aboard. The cities are:
