March 19 coronavirus news

The Energy Department promised Thursday to support US oil producers facing "potentially catastrophic losses" by quickly purchasing 30 million barrels of crude.

Those barrels, purchased at dirt-cheap prices, will be used to start filling up America's emergency oil stockpile, known as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR.

The initial purchase will be focused on small and midsize US oil producers, the group most at risk from the oil crash to $20 a barrel.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he will recommend to President Trump that he request funding from Congress to buy even more crude — enough to fill up the SPR.

Mnuchin said the oil market has "nothing to do with the coronavirus, other than there's just a lot less demand."

That's not exactly right: The demand destruction, caused by mass cancellations of flights and widespread factory shutdowns, is a major driver of the oil crash.

The other huge problem: Saudi Arabia and Russia are flooding the market with too much supply in a bid to crowd out high-cost US producers.

The United Kingdom's communications team went into overdrive on Thursday in an attempt to play down fears of a lockdown in London. 

Reports of the imminent imposition of tighter restrictions in the capital gained steam after Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at a press conference on Wednesday night, repeatedly refused to deny that such measures were being considered. 

Multiple government sources told CNN on Wednesday that serious conversations about restricting travel in and out of the capital and limiting the city's transport network were taking place at the highest levels of government. 

However, on Thursday morning, the prime minister's official spokesperson told journalists that there was "zero prospect" of travel restrictions and that the government has "no plans" to shut down the London's transport network. 

Some context: It's worth remembering that until recently, the closure of schools was not something the government was considering, and that as recently as two weeks ago, the scientific evidence didn't support stopping mass gatherings such as concerts or music events. 

However, British schools will close their gates at the end of this week and as of Monday, mass gatherings will not be supported by emergency workers. 

Music festivals have been canceled, West End theaters shuttered and cultural life in the UK is winding down. London’s transport authority closed 40 Tube stations on Thursday and reduced the service frequency on most lines, ostensibly to maintain a baseline service.

A 91-year-old man in Connecticut has died “due to complications from COVID-19,” Gov. Ned Lamont tweeted Thursday morning.

The man – a New Canaan resident who was being treated at Norwalk Hospital – is the second reported death in Connecticut.

“Our hearts are with his family and friends at this difficult time,” Lamont tweeted.

The Louisiana Department of Health has reported an eighth death related to COVID-19. The 60-year-old individual was a St. James Parish resident.

As of Wednesday evening, 280 positive cases of coronavirus has been identified in Louisiana. 

The Philippines will stop issuing visas to foreigners in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Locsin said that foreign visitors in the country will be "given all the help to get out" adding that it would be "idiotic to detain them."

Some context: On Wednesday, the Philippines declared a state of calamity allowing law enforcement agencies as well as the armed forces to be deployed to affected areas in order to ensure peace. The move also made the "Quick Response Fund" available for use by local governments to fight the virus. 

The Transportation Security Administration said two baggage screening officers at JFK airport have tested positive for coronavirus. 

One screener last worked on March 13 in Terminal 5 in the checked baggage room. The second screener last worked on March 12 in Terminal 4 in the checked baggage room.

This brings a total of 12 TSA officers who have tested positive.

At least one passenger with confirmed coronavirus case took a JetBlue flight out of JFK on March 11. A second passenger deplaned from a Delta flight on March 16, and after boarding, learned he or she had been exposed to a coronavirus case. It is unclear whether the workers contracted the cases at work or elsewhere.

Former Trump administration economist Kevin Hassett says the April jobs report will be “the worst jobs number you ever saw.”

In an interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow on Thursday, Hassett said that if everyone stays home for six months, “it is like a Great Depression.”

Watch:

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft announced via video Thursday morning that the Gulf Shores beaches will close due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A state of local emergency was declared for Gulf Shores on Thursday.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has loosened its guidelines to allow health care workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to continue working as long as they wear a mask, according to CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Within the guidelines, the CDC says bandanas and scarves could be used in place of a mask, Gupta said. The reason for these guidelines is due to a lack of personal protective equipment and not enough health care workers, Gupta said.

Watch Gupta's remarks below: