March 19 coronavirus news

The average price of a gallon of gas has fallen below $2 in nearly a quarter of the country's states, according to AAA. 

The national average currently stands at $2.19 for a gallon of regular gas, the lowest it's been since early December 2016. That's down 13 cents from a week ago and 36 cents lower than a year ago.  

Oklahoma is the cheapest, with a cost per gallon of regular going for $1.84. Hawaii and California are the two most expensive states for a gallon of regular, at $3.52 and $3.28 respectively. 

"This is unprecedented," Tom Kloza, head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service, told CNN Business.

Kloza expects that the national average will soon drop between $1.99 per gallon with some states hitting $1 per gallon or less. 

The national average price will probably decline further ‐perhaps to between $1.25 to $1.50 per gallon — in the next few months, he said.

The American Clinical Laboratory Association is asking congressional leadership for $5 billion in emergency funding for COVID-19 testing and related costs.

The labs in the industry group have done 43,000 COVID-19 tests so far, they say, but have had no assurance for how these tests will be paid for.

"Notably, these tests have been performed absent assurances about the payment for these necessary services," the letter says. "We are growing increasingly concerned that the federal government is not recognizing the strain on the laboratory industry to meet the demand for testing for COVID-19.

Free testing for COVID-19 has now been promised to the American people. Laboratories should not bear the cost of "free" testing. Clinical laboratories need additional support from Congress to ensure we have the necessary staffing, supplies and equipment to fulfill that vital promise."

The USNS Mercy hospital ship is now expected to head to the Seattle area in the next five to 10 days, according to a defense official.

“That is the expectation,” the official said.

The final destination could always change depending on civilian needs, the official cautioned.

The other ship, the USNS Comfort, is still weeks away from being deployed to New York. 

"The Comfort, which is on the East Coast, should be ready in a couple weeks,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday.

Esper made also made clear to CNN that the two Navy hospital ships being deployed to help respond to the coronavirus outbreak will not treat patients suffering from the virus.

There are at least 10,259 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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 10,189 cases in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and other US territories, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 10,259. 

In total, 152 people have died. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered 75% of the state’s workforce to work from home.

Multiple flights have been canceled or temporarily suspended across Africa as airlines struggle to cope with falling demand following the spread of coronavirus.

Rwanda Air, and Air Mauritius are among airlines that have suspended flights to China. Morocco has suspended all international flights to and from its territory "until further notice" and Kenya Airways also suspended flights to countries affected by the virus.

According to a report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as of March 11, African airlines have recorded a loss of up to $4.4 billion in revenue since the virus surfaced.

Adefunke Adeyemi, IATA's Regional Director for Advocacy and Strategic relations in Africa says passenger demand for Africa has reduced significantly. International bookings in Africa went down by 20% in March and April, while domestic bookings have fallen by about 15% in March and 25% in April, according to data from IATA.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson will self-quarantine for the next week after his recent exposure to a congressman who has since tested positive for the coronavirus, an agency official told CNN on Thursday.   

On March 11, Dickson “had a brief interaction” with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who has since tested positive.  

As a result, Dickson will “self-quarantine and work remotely for seven days to ensure he is symptom-free 14 days after contact with the congressman,” the official said.  

Germany's Defense Ministry will mobilize its armed forces and call up army reserves to support the government's efforts to cope with the coronavirus crisis, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Thursday in Berlin. 

"This will be important, especially if the crisis lasts longer," she added. 

In her statement to the press, the German defense minister assured citizens that they will be able to rely upon the armed forces over the course of the COVID-19 crisis.

"The fight against the virus is a marathon," Kramp-Karrenbauer said. 

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.