Florida is barring groups of 10 or more people from beaches, Gov. Ron DeSantis said today. This was in response to recent spring break crowds on beaches in the state.
This follows US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The governor added that a six-foot distance should be maintained between groups.
While the decision on whether or not to close beaches is being left with local governments, DeSantis says, "It's our hope that these new restrictions will reduce the ability of folks to congregate in large numbers."
1:28 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
Somalia confirms first coronavirus case
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Somalia has confirmed the country's first coronavirus case, according to the Ministry of Health.
The person is a Somali citizen who tested positive for the virus in the capital Mogadishu, the ministry announced.
"We commend all medical practitioners across the globe working hard to counter the #CoronavirusPandemic," Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo wrote on his Twitter on Monday.
"I urge everyone to support all efforts and recommended medical measures to slow the spread of #COVID19 and keep the numbers low," Farmajo also wrote.
1:16 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
CNN's Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction podcast is sharing stories of Americans who tested positive
What does it feel like when someone contracts COVID-19 and is under quarantine?
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares the stories of two Americans who tested positive in today's episode of the Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction podcast.
Fauci says we won't know if the curve if flattening "for several weeks or maybe longer"
From CNN's Betsy Klein
The National Institutes of Health's Dr. Anthony Fauci provided an explanation for why we might not know whether we’re actually flattening the curve for several weeks of containment and mitigation measures.
Fauci said that because the curve of those who have the virus will certainly continue to go up, it will be hard to tell immediately whether those measure are having an effect.
“It probably would be several weeks or maybe longer before we know whether we had an effect. And maybe, at the end of the day, we’ll see a curve that would’ve been way, way up. But I wouldn’t, like, put us to task every few days. ‘Well wait a minute, it’s going up, is it working or not?’ That would be really misleading if we do that,” he said.
1:00 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
Top doctor says "it's possible" US could see peak in coronavirus cases in 45 days
Evan Vucci/AP
Top US infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci said at a news conference "it's possible" the country could see a peak in the number of cases in 45 days, around May 1.
"45 days is not unreasonable," Fauci said.
Fauci also added that officials talk more about a range than a specific date: "You have to be careful. When you get a number, you own the number. If the number does not come out then you are in trouble."
What's this about: Earlier today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York said that he expects the peak to be in around 45 days, based on information he has received from experts. Cuomo said at that point the state will need as many as 110,000 hospital beds.
WATCH FAUCI AT BRIEFING:
12:29 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
Trump administration working to send checks directly to Americans
From CNN's John Harwood, Kevin Liptak, and Betsy Klein
Evan Vucci/AP
The Trump administration is working to send money directly to Americans in a bid to curb the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis.
“We’re looking at sending checks to Americans immediately,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters at the White House.
Mnuchin said the administration was looking at ways to provide the checks within the next two weeks.
He also said the administration will allow Americans to defer up to $1 million in payments to the Internal Revenue Service for 90 days.
Mnuchin said the IRS would not charge interest or penalties for the deferral. He said corporations could defer up to $10 million in IRS payments.
CNN’s John Harwood also asked President Donald Trump and Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin about the logistics of an economic stimulus idea that could give $1,000 checks to Americans, which is gaining some bipartisan support.
Mnuchin expressed some support for the idea and it would be discussed during his Capitol Hill meetings.
“I think it’s clear we don’t need to send people who make a million dollars a year checks. But we like — that’s one of the ideas we like. We’re going to preview that today and then we’ll be talking about details afterwards,” Mnuchin said.
Trump chimed in, saying, “I think we’re going to do something that gets money to them as quickly as possible. That may not be an accurate way of doing it because obviously some people shouldn’t be getting checks for $1000. But we’ll have a pretty good idea by the end of the day what we’re going to be doing.”
12:34 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
Over 70s should stop having Sunday lunch with their families, says UK’s top science adviser
From CNN's Tara John
Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images
Healthy people over the age of 70 should avoid crowded places and social gatherings -- even family Sunday lunches -- the UK’s chief scientific adviser said Tuesday as he clarified some of the government advice given to the British public the day before.
Sir Patrick Vallance told the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee that everyone over 70 -- not just those with underlying health conditions -- should drastically change their daily routines.
“Avoid crowded spaces, avoid gatherings, don’t got to the club where you normally go to, reduce travel, try to avoid unnecessary travel, don’t [do] your usual things in terms of going to the shops unless you absolutely have to,” Vallance said.
Asked by the committee’s chairman, and former health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, whether people that age should avoid Sunday lunch with their grandchildren, Vallance said they should.
Giving evidence later, the chief executive of the National Health Service in England, Sir Stewart Stevens, said elective (non-urgent) operations would be suspended until April 15, or earlier, if hospitals could manage it, in order to free up capacity to deal with the expected spike in coronavirus cases.
Asked whether the country would have enough ventilators to treat the expected number of cases in the new set of modelling published by scientists at Imperial College London yesterday, Stevens demurred, saying that it would be necessary to wait and see what the real-life effects of the social distancing advice given by the UK government would be.
12:37 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
Trump says "we're starting the process" of helping New York increase hospital capacity
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump said at a news conference the federal government is beginning the process of increasing the hospital bed capacity in New York as requested by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
"We're starting the process," Trump said, in response to a question about Cuomo's request that the President deploy the Army Corp. of Engineers to build field hospitals in the state.
Trump said the federal government has the equipment in stock and they are "looking at a few different sites" in New York. He added that the Army Corp is "ready, willing and able" and just waiting for his go-ahead. "We think we can have quite a few units up very rapidly," Trump said.
More context: Earlier today, Gov. Cuomo said that if the number of cases in New York continues to increase rapidly the state could run out of hospital beds to care for the sick. He reiterated an overture he's been making to the President the past couple of days to send in the Army Corp. to increase healthcare capacity.
12:05 p.m. ET, March 17, 2020
Trump predicts economy will "pop" once country emerges from crisis
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
President Trump predicted a speedy economic recovery once the current coronavirus outbreak passes, saying he believed it could come quicker than some are predicting.
“It will pop,” Trump said, saying the administration was working to provide relief to affected industries and small businesses to ensure the country emerges from the crisis “with (a) prosperous and growing economy.”
Trump predicted victory against the virus in optimistic terms.
“We will be up here saying, well, we won. We'll say that. Sure as you're sitting there we'll say that. We are going to win,” he said. “I think we are going to win faster than people think, I hope.”
