March 22 coronavirus news

Ohio has issued a statewide “stay at home” order due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Mike DeWine announced at a press conference on Sunday. 

The order, requiring all residents to stay at home except for “essential activities,” will go into effect on Monday night at 11:59 p.m., DeWine said, adding that order was signed by Dr. Amy Acton, the state’s Department of Health Director.

“Essential businesses” and restaurants for takeout will still be allowed to stay open. DeWine encouraged Ohioans to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others.

The “stay at home” order will remain in place until at least April 6, at which time state authorities would reassess the situation, DeWine said.

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, said all senators will be seeking medical advice on what action to take after their colleague, Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday.

Romney added: "Very, very unhappy to hear that Rand Paul has been diagnosed with Covid-19... wish him the very best he's compromised given health conditions he's had in the past and so we'll be praying for him and thinking about it.”

Earlier Sunday: Paul confirmed his positive test on Twitter where his official account said, "He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person."

There are at least 30,565 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to CNN Health’s tally of cases that are detected and tested in the country through US public health systems.

So far, 384 people have died in the US.

The total includes cases from all 50 states, Washington, DC, and other US territories, as well as all repatriated cases.

Opera singer Placido Domingo has tested positive for Covid-19, the artist confirmed on his Facebook page.

Domingo added he is currently in good health but had experienced "fever and cough symptoms."

Some background: Domingo, a world-renowned opera singer, resigned as general director of Los Angeles Opera last year, after accusations of sexual harassment.

On March 10th, CNN’s Stephanie Elam reported that L.A. Opera’s independent investigation into 10 allegations of sexual harassment by Domingo were found to be credible. Domingo willingly participated in an interview but denied all allegations.

The International Olympic Committee executive board announced Sunday that the group has decided to step up scenario-planning for the 2020 Tokyo Games in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The options that the IOC are currently considering include modifying operational plans to allow the games to begin on schedule on July 24 as well as changing the start date for the games. 

The IOC said it is confident that it will have finalized these discussions within the next four weeks. This scenario-planning will allow for the best decision in the interest of the athletes and everyone else involved, the IOC added.

The IOC executive board decided that cancellation of the Tokyo Games would not solve any problems or help anybody, and thus decided cancellation is not on the agenda.

The IOC points out that conditions in Japan have improved significantly, though globally there has been a dramatic increase in Covid-19 cases.

A member of the Boston Police department has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Sgt. Detective John Boyle.

Authorities were notified last night and are conducting a thorough cleaning of the facility where the officer was stationed at.

The male officer will remain at home until medically cleared, Boyle said.

Public health officials are looking into contact tracing from this infected officer, Boyle said.

The department, which has about 2,000 officers, continues to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first responder guidelines with regards to protocols in the wake of the virus.

Boyle said the health and safety of department members is the utmost priority.

A health care system in New York is no longer allowing visitors, including partners, for its patients about to give birth, citing coronavirus risk.

Goffman described the move as a "very difficult decision and not one taken lightly."

NewYork-Presbyterian has also made the decision to test all women in labor who are admitted to labor and delivery units for Covid-19, regardless of symptoms.

Goffman said there had been a number of patients with little to no symptoms upon admission, and others with atypical symptoms, who were later found to test positive for the novel coronavirus. Moreover, "many symptoms of labor and of pregnant women really mimic some of the symptoms of Covid-19," including fatigue and shortness of breath, she added.

"As a result, these women were not identified by our usual screening, infection prevention and control, or testing processes, and therefore our practices for protection for Covid-19 were not implemented. In this case, many staff members were exposed," Goffman said. 

Testing women in labor, she added, would allow doctors to isolate newborns who may have been exposed to the virus, thus preventing outbreaks in neonatal ICUs and well-baby nurseries. 

Absent in-person visitors for these patients, Goffman said the hospital system was looking into ways to allow families to participate virtually in childbirth, perhaps through tablet computers.

"We recognize that we will need to provide additional support for moms, as well as mom and baby pairs, as they're in the hospital through the duration of their stay," she said.

The United Kingdom's 1.5 million most vulnerable citizens are being told to stay at home for the next 12 weeks to help shield them from coronavirus.

Communities Minister Robert Jenrick says authorities will be writing to those who’ve been identified to offer them assistance to maintain social distancing during the outbreak. This includes providing food, so they don’t have to leave the house 

The announcement was made at Sunday’s daily press briefing at Downing Street, alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Johnson said the measures being announced today were foreshadowed in the government’s response plan.

Spain plans to extend its state of emergency for another 15 days, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Sunday, as the number of Covid-19 deaths soars in the country.

Sanchez addressed citizens in a televised briefing on Sunday, after meeting with health and security officials.

He said he expected Parliament to approve his request to lengthen the order, which has been in place for over a week.

By the numbers: It comes with the country's death toll from the virus accelerating. The country's health ministry said on Sunday that another 394 had died in just the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities to 1,720.