March 21 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Brett McKeehan, Jack Guy, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 0215 GMT (1015 HKT) March 22, 2020

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9:10 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

United Airlines slashed international flights. Now it's bringing some of them back

From CNN's Greg Wallace

United Airlines is bringing back some of its international flights just one day after making significant international flight schedule cuts.

On Friday, United said it was slashing its April international schedule by 95%. However, on Saturday evening, the airline said it “knows some people around the globe are displaced and still need to get home” and will be adding some capacity back to its schedules.

The changes mean the airline will operate at about 90% international capacity, it said.

"This remains a fluid situation, but United continues to play a role in connecting people and uniting the world, especially in these challenging times," the company said in a press release.

8:52 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

US Vice President Mike Pence has tested negative for coronavirus

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal

United States Vice President Mike Pence and his wife have tested negative for coronavirus, his spokeswoman announced Saturday evening.

“Pleased to report that the Covid-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence," his spokesperson tweeted.

Pence announced he and his wife would be tested Saturday afternoon after a staff member at his office tested positive for coronavirus.

8:46 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

Bolivians should be at home "24 hours a day," the country's interim president says

From CNN’s Taylor Barnes in Atlanta.

Bolivia has announced a nationwide, 14-day "total quarantine" starting Sunday, according to Bolivian state media agency ABI.

The country's interim president, Jeanine Áñez, said Bolivians should “be at home 24 hours a day” and that only one person per family can leave at a time to go shopping. Public and private transport will be suspended.

Still operating: Pharmacies, hospitals and health centers will remain open as normal, she said. Permits will be given to employees in sectors that remain open.

Questions over election: On Saturday, the Bolivian electoral tribunal issued a notice on its website saying that the quarantine order impedes the body from carrying out preparatory activities ahead of May 3 elections.

The tribunal said that political groups and authorities should work together to decide on a “new date” that takes into account “scientific evaluations based on serious estimates about the probably evolution of the pandemic.”

An interim government has ruled Bolivia since former President Evo Morales fled the country following allegations of fraud in an October vote that would have given him a fourth term in office. Morales has said he was the victim of a coup.

8:29 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

Apple is donating millions of industrial masks

Apple is donating 2 million masks to health professionals in the US and Europe.

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the news in a tweet.

The company has also temporarily closed all of its stores outside of greater China and committed $15 million to helping with the worldwide recovery from novel coronavirus.

8:11 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

Federal Bureau of Prisons reports first coronavirus case

From CNN’s David Shortell

The exterior of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Kathy Willens/AP

An inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn has tested posted for the coronavirus, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.

This is the first known case of an inmate detained in the federal prison system to contract the virus.

The inmate initially complained about chest pains and was taken to local hospital, where he was tested for coronavirus, according to a news release from the Bureau of Prisons.

On March 20, 2020, he was discharged back to MDC Brooklyn and immediately placed in isolation. Today, the BOP was notified his test results for COVID-19 were positive," the release said.

Two Bureau of Prison staff members, one at Leavenworth, Kansas, and another in Grand Prairie, Texas, tested positive for the virus and are the only known staff members to be infected at this point.

7:52 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

US Embassy in Peru says it is arranging charter flights

From CNN’s Michael Callahan and Jennifer Hansler

The US Embassy in Lima said Saturday it "is coordinating closely with the Peruvian Government on all options for US citizens to depart the country and are arranging charter aircraft," an alert from the embassy said Saturday.

"A flight of 264 American citizens departed Lima for Washington, DC on March 20, and the Embassy understands that LATAM flight 2488 departed Lima for Miami today with over 175 U.S. citizens," the embassy said in an alert. "Please stay attuned to U.S. Embassy messaging as we continue to arrange for more flights over the coming days. These flights will be subject to reimbursement."

7:59 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

Kuwait to impose 11-hour curfew following 'non-compliance' with health instructions

From CNN’s Ruba Alhenawi and Taylor Barnes

Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh announced an 11-hour curfew from 5 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday (local time), according to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Al-Saleh said the government was "forced" to impose the partial curfew due to "non-compliance with the Ministry of Health's instructions to stay indoors."

7:49 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

There are more than 23,000 coronavirus cases in the US and 295 deaths

From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch

Health care workers put on personal protective equipment at a drive-through testing site in Arlington, Virginia, on March 20, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

There are at least 23,572 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to CNN Health’s tally of cases that are detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems.

At least 295 people have died. The total includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, plus all repatriated cases.

7:30 p.m. ET, March 21, 2020

Former Italian soccer star Paolo Maldini and his son test positive for coronavirus, AC Milan says

From CNN’s Jill Martin

Italian soccer club AC Milan announced on its website Saturday that former player Paolo Maldini and his son, Daniel, have tested positive for coronavirus.

Maldini, 51, a former Italian national team star, is considered one of the greatest defenders to come out of Italy. He is currently the technical director with AC Milan.

Read AC Milan's full statement below:

AC Milan confirms that Paolo Maldini, the club's Technical Director, became aware of contact with a person who subsequently tested positive for Coronavirus and began to display symptoms of the virus himself. He was administered with a swab test yesterday, the result of which was positive. His son Daniel, a forward in AC Milan's youth team who had previously been training with the First Team, also tested positive.
Paolo and Daniel are both well and have already completed two weeks at home without contact with others. They will now remain in quarantine until clinically recovered, as per the medical protocols outlined by the health authorities.