March 25 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, Ivana Kottasová and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 9:34 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
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2:01 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020

It's approaching midnight in New York and midday in Beijing. Here's what everyone should know

Chinese airport security wear protective suits as they wait to check temperatures and health of travelers at Beijing Capital International Airport on March 24, in Beijing, China.
Chinese airport security wear protective suits as they wait to check temperatures and health of travelers at Beijing Capital International Airport on March 24, in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

As of 11:45 p.m. ET, there have been more than 422,000 people infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide, and over 18,900 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking World Health Organization (WHO) figures and additional sources.

Mainland China still has the most cases of any country -- as of the end of the day Tuesday 81,218 people there have been infected, 3,281 of whom died and 73,650 of whom recovered -- but the numbers in hard-hit Italy are getting closer. More than 69,000 people have been infected in Italy and at least 6,820 have died, according to Johns Hopkins.

The next epicenter: While Italy is the current epicenter of the virus, the WHO said it is possible it could shift to the United States. Last Wednesday, there were about 3,500 cases in the US, according to the WHO.

As of late Tuesday night ET, the country has at least 52,976 cases across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, according to a CNN tally. At least 705 people have died, including 210 in New York, 123 in Washington state and 46 in Louisiana.

The increase is likely due in part to both the virus' exponential spread and increased testing efforts country-wide.

The planet stays home: To combat the virus' spread, authorities across the US are ordering most residents to stay at home -- 55% of the nearly 330 million people living in the country will be subject to such measures. They're not alone -- a staggering 2.5 billion people -- nearly a third of the world’s population -- are under coronavirus-related movement restrictions. The most audacious of all these stay-at-home orders is likely in India, which has asked the majority of its 1.3 billion population to stay home for 21 days.

The 2020 Games, in 2021: On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo would be postponed until next year. They agreed to keep the name as Tokyo 2020 and said the Olympic flame would stay in Japan. 

The Olympics have never been rescheduled in peacetime. In 1916, 1940 and 1944, the Games were canceled because of world wars. 

As Japan now prepares for the logistical nightmare that is rescheduling one of the world's biggest and most popular events, Tokyo 2020 organizing committee chief executive Toshiro Muto said Tuesday that it was unclear who would cover the additional costs arising from pushing back the Games.

11:39 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

Alaska reports first coronavirus death

Alaska has recorded its first death due to Covid-19, according to the state’s chief medical officer. 

This case brings the nationwide coronavirus death toll in the United States to 705.

Dr. Anne Zink announced in a Tuesday evening news conference that the patient had been living in Washington “for a while” and died there. Due to CDC standards on how coronavirus deaths are classified and to avoid miscounting, it is still counted as an Alaska death, according to Zink.

The state Department of Health and Social Services reports there are currently 42 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Alaska.

11:29 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

Brazil's President criticizes the media for sparking "hysteria" over coronavirus

From CNN's Tatiana Arias in Atlanta and Shasta Darlington in Sao Paulo 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro takes off his protective mask to speak to journalists during a news conference about the outbreak of the coronavirus at the Planalto Palace on March 20 in Brasilia, Brazil.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro takes off his protective mask to speak to journalists during a news conference about the outbreak of the coronavirus at the Planalto Palace on March 20 in Brasilia, Brazil. Andressa Anholete/Getty Images

In a four-and-a-half-minute speech broadcast on national television and radio, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro criticized the media for sparking what he called fear and hysteria over the coronavirus and some regional authorities for "scorched earth" policies.

Bolsonaro took governors and mayors to task for adopting measures suggested by the World Health Organization and adopted by other countries, like social distancing and self-quarantine.

"What we've seen in the world is that the risk group is people over 60 years old. So why close schools?" he asked.

He also pointed to the closing of stores and restrictions on transportation as problematic. 

"The virus arrived and is being faced down by us and shortly will pass. Our life has to go on. Jobs should be maintained," he said.

Bolsonaro also blamed the press for a "sense of dread" and for causing "real hysteria in the country."

As of Tuesday, Brazil reported 2,201 cases of novel coronavirus and 46 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

11:20 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

Waffle House is almost always open. Now 350 of its locations are closed across US

A Waffle House employee can be seen cleaning tables at this Lithia Springs location, Thursday, March, 19.
A Waffle House employee can be seen cleaning tables at this Lithia Springs location, Thursday, March, 19. Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Waffle House has closed 365 of its restaurants across the United States as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on the company's social media accounts Tuesday, Waffle House said 1,627 locations remain open at this time.

The closures were announced along with the hashtag “WaffleHouseIndexRed.”

In a previous tweet, Waffle House asked patrons to think of their employees as they navigate through this crisis.

“Our associates are the true heroes during this time and appreciate any order you are able [to] place with them.”

Waffle House almost never shuts: The breakfast chain typically only closes during major disasters like hurricanes or storms. Waffle House has become something of a canary in the coal mine when it comes to measuring just how serious a particular disaster is -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) even coined the term "Waffle House Index" to measure the effect of a natural disaster on an area. If a Waffle House shuts down or limits its menu after such hazards, federal officials conclude the community took a major hit.

11:09 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

Trump wants an early return to work. Hong Kong tried this and now has a second wave of cases

Analysis by CNN's James Griffiths

Pedestrians walk on the usually busy Peel Street, popular for its restaurants and bars in Hong Kong on March 23.
Pedestrians walk on the usually busy Peel Street, popular for its restaurants and bars in Hong Kong on March 23. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Days after most Americans began life on lockdown, President Donald Trump has already said he wants the nation "opened up and just raring to go" by April 12. 

That's just over two weeks away, and most doctors believe far too early for a return to normal, risking another wave of coronavirus infections that could quickly spiral out of control. But Trump, along with many prominent US conservatives, is concerned about the effects on the economy -- particularly the markets -- should people be away from work for too long. 

Other governments have tackled with this issue already, with authorities across China moving to bail out affected businesses and provide payments to people living on lockdown, making it easier for them to stay at home and help rein in the outbreak.

Hong Kong, one of the first places outside mainland China to see infections, also provides a model for what happens when you go back to work too soon

This week, the city sent civil servants back home after they returned to their offices around the start of the month. Numbers had been stable in Hong Kong when that decision was made, but imported infections combined with a lack of social distancing soon led to a new wave of local cases. 

That experience should cause alarm for anyone advocating a quick return to work in the US. New York City alone has 50 times the number of confirmed cases as Hong Kong, even after the new wave of infections. Cities in the US are also far less able to control transport in and out, or even keep track of imported infections until they show up at hospitals. 

Trump and his backers in conservative media may be concerned what happens to the stock market if workers are at home for too long, but there's no reason to suppose the line will go up if they're in hospitals or morgues instead. As Hong Kong has shown, fighting the coronavirus is a long game, and you can't rush it. 

1:05 a.m. ET, March 25, 2020

A state-by-state breakdown of US coronavirus cases

The first US case of the coronavirus was reported January 21 -- a Washington state man who had recently returned from China. Now, the country has at least 52,976 cases across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. 

At least 704 people have died, including 210 in New York, 123 in Washington state and 46 in Louisiana.

CNN's tallies are based on totals reported by states, US territories and the District of Columbia.

Read more here:

10:48 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

The coronavirus epicenter went from China to Italy. The US could be next

A worker disinfects public buses at the Montgomery County Division of Fleet Management Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center March 20 in Rockville, Maryland.
A worker disinfects public buses at the Montgomery County Division of Fleet Management Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center March 20 in Rockville, Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Ground zero of the novel coronavirus pandemic is in Wuhan, China but it's epicenter -- where the majority of new cases are popping up -- is a moving target, shifting globally as the virus spreads.

Europe is the current epicenter, and Italy in particular -- the country is nearing 70,000 cases and 7,000 fatalities, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

But Italy's rate of new infections and fatalities could slow as the calendar ticks closer to two weeks since the country went on lockdown. Experts say that since Covid-19 is believed to have an incubation period ranging from one to 14 days, it takes those full two weeks to see the benefits of any measures advising or ordering people to stay at home.

Italy went on total lockdown on March 13 -- meaning Friday will be two weeks since the measure came into force. US states began enacting their own drastic travel restrictions in recent days, but nothing has been federally mandated.

According to CNN's tally of US cases, there were at least 52,976 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States as of Tuesday night, and more than 700 people have died. The tally is based on numbers of confirmed cases provided by state and local health departments. CNN's tally of total confirmed cases has increased by at least 23% each day since March 4 -- in some cases, much more steeply. From March 18 to March 19, confirmed US cases rose 51% in just one day, from 8,760 to 13,229, the largest one-day increase in recent weeks.

But public health experts, including the US surgeon general, have warned the worst is yet to come.

10:39 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

New Zealand declares a state of emergency

From CNN's Akanksha Sharma in Hong Kong

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declares a state of national emergency to fight coronavirus ahead of a nationwide lockdown on March 25 in Wellington, New Zealand.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declares a state of national emergency to fight coronavirus ahead of a nationwide lockdown on March 25 in Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand has declared a state of national emergency as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise in the country, the National Emergency Management Agency announced on Wednesday.

The move will see New Zealand elevating its "Alert Level" to 4 from 11:59 p.m. local time (6:59 a.m. ET) on Wednesday.

What this means:

  • People told to stay at home: Anyone "not working in essential services must stay at home and stop all interactions with others outside of your household," the agency said.
  • Essential services will remain open: Health care and food stores such as supermarkets will remain available. However, all indoor and outdoor events will be banned and schools will close.
  • Public transport limited: Public transport will only be available for those working in essential services, for medical reasons and to get to the supermarket.
  • Cross-country travel: Domestic air travel will also be limited to people undertaking essential services. 
"This decision was not made lightly. If we all do our part and stay home we will save lives," New Zealand's Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare tweeted following the announcement.
10:30 p.m. ET, March 24, 2020

China says new cases of coronavirus are all imported 

Mainland China reported 47 new cases of the novel coronavirus as of end of day Tuesday -- all of which were imported.

China's National Health Commission reported four new deaths, bringing the total death toll to 3,281. 

The total number of confirmed infections in the country stands at 81,218, with 474 imported cases.

There were no new confirmed cases in Hubei province, where the coronavirus was first identified.

The commission added that a total of 73,650 patients in mainland China have recovered and been discharged from hospital.