March 24 coronavirus news

Gun stores in Los Angeles have been declared a nonessential business and have been forced to close, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement Tuesday.

Villanueva also announced the department will add 1,300 deputies to beef up patrols.

"There are hundreds of businesses which, through no fault of their own, do not fall under the Governor’s definition of critical infrastructure," the sheriff said. "As a result, I have instructed my deputies to enforce closures of businesses which have disregarded the Governor’s order (gun stores, strip clubs, and other non-designated businesses)."

This directive comes after reports that gun stores in Los Angeles have seen an increase in sales due to coronavirus concerns.

While appearing on CNN via teleconference, former Vice President Joe Biden coughed into his hand — and Jake Tapper immediately corrected his technique.

"You know, you're supposed to cough into your elbow," Tapper said, noting he learned about the method while covering the Obama administration.

"It's kind of old school, to do it with your hand. Do it into your elbow, you're supposed to do it," Tapper added.

Biden, who is 77 years old, said he's been following health care and government officials' advice on social distancing and is staying home.

"I've been staying in place, not going out, not gathering at events," he said.

Biden said he has no symptoms of coronavirus so he hasn't been tested for it.

Watch the moment:

Phoebe Putney Health System, in southwest Georgia, is now reporting roughly a third of the deaths in the state. 

CEO Scott Steiner said in a statement that the hospital system is "quickly reaching a critical mass."

Steiner went on to say the health system's main hospital “has been more severely impacted by COVID-19 than any other hospital in Georgia, and our entire health system is one of the hardest hit in the state."

Phoebe Putney Health System has asked other hospitals to take in its Covid-19 and non-COVID patients.

The hospital is currently awaiting the results of more than 1,000 people who were tested for coronavirus. 

Aisne, a region in northern France, has banned the sale of alcohol while emergency measures due to coronavirus are in place.

The ban has been put in place over an increasing risk of domestic violence due to restriction of movement, local police said on Tuesday.

“As intra-family violence is often associated with excessive alcohol consumption, a regulation measure to take-away sales of alcoholic beverages until March 31st had been decided,” police said a statement.

This announcement came after Minister of Interior Christophe Castaner stressed police effort to crack down on domestic violence cases.

On a conference call with his caucus this afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed confidence to fellow Democrats that he had secured $150 billion for state and local stimulus fund and 130 billion dollars for hospitals, according a person familiar with the call.

More context: The Senate has been locked in long negotiations over the past couple days over a stimulus package that could cost in the ballpark of $2 trillion. Throughout the day, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle — as well as White House officials — have said they believe they're close to making a deal.

School in South Carolina will remain closed for the duration of the month of April, according to a joint statement released by Gov. Henry McMaster and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. 

The closure applies to K-12 schools as well as public colleges, universities and technical colleges. 

The Pentagon has issued a memo to “immediately postpone all elective surgeries, invasive procedures and dental procedures” in order to free up medical facilities and equipment as it responds to the coronavirus outbreak.

The order becomes effective on March 31 and is scheduled to last 60 days.

Procedures and surgeries designed to maintain deployability of active duty troops will be allowed to continue.

The British Armed Forces will begin delivering and distributing essential medical and personal protective equipment to National Health Service (NHS) facilities.

They have already delivered some 50,000 face masks to London's St Thomas' Hospital on Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said in a statement.

According to the MOD, a two-truck convoy arrived at the hospital early in the morning to deliver the masks after driving overnight from an army depot in Merseyside, some 200 miles away. 

“My normal role is to deliver combat supplies to combat forces in time of war — but we can respond to these challenges and it’s great to stand with our NHS colleagues as we get ready for the challenges ahead...there are some tough times ahead and the nation needs to rise together to respond to those times," Prosser added. 

In its statement, the MOD confirmed that military planners are currently advising the NHS on "logistical measures to ensure vital equipment gets to where it’s most needed," adding that the Army's Logistical Brigade Command has deployed planning staff to help develop a plan for "possible long-term commercial solutions" and further support. 

"More than 460 personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force will be ready to deliver the equipment to NHS facilities around England, while further personnel will deploy to a PPE warehouse to prepare the equipment for dispatch," the MOD said. 

"Personnel will deliver items to 242 NHS locations to help them cope with rising demands for equipment in response to the coronavirus outbreak," the statement added. 

Medical workers in Spain account for 13.6% of its total coronavirus cases, according to Fernando Simón, director of the Spanish Coordinating Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies at Spain’s Ministry of Health.

Health care workers account for 5,400 of the country’s 39,673 total cases, he said on Tuesday.