March 29 coronavirus news

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will start enforcing the executive order limiting large gatherings in state parks and lakes across the state, a joint statement from Gov. Brian Kemp and DNR Commissioner Mark Williams said Sunday.

DNR employees will be patrolling bodies of water and campgrounds to enforce social distancing guidelines. If people are found gathering they will approach them and demand compliance, sometimes with bullhorns, the release said. 

The move comes after school and business closures along with stay-at-home orders have resulted in people heading to vacation homes, lakes, hiking trail and campgrounds throughout the state, according to the release.

Gatherings of more than 10 people are banned unless people are 6 feet apart. That order applies to all 159 counties in the state, the release said.

There are at least 135,856 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to CNN Health’s tally of cases detected and tested through US public health systems.

A total of 2,391 people have died in the United States from coronavirus. 

For the most up-to-date US numbers compiled by CNN, please check this map which automatically refreshes every 10 minutes:

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/

A nurse at Elmhurst Hospital in New York described to CNN how quickly patients are deteriorating in their hospital.

Desaturate refers to a patient's oxygen saturation levels dropping to unsafe and, in this case, fatal levels.

The nurse said they watched, completely helpless, with two doctors alongside, as patients died from coronavirus complications. 

"Even though you restart the heart, they cannot breathe and before you get a minute to process the life lost, they come and snatch the ventilator," the nurse said. "And (then) another patient is crashing."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the stresses this particular hospital is experiencing during his daily press conference.

Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Elmhurst had been the hospital hit hardest by the surge in cases and more medical personnel were being sent there. CNN previously reported that 13 patients died at the hospital from coronavirus within 24 hours last week.

Hospitals in Illinois don't have enough capacity for anticipated surge numbers from coronavirus, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker said in a press conference Sunday.

"There's not enough capacity today," Pritzker said.

He said the state is working diligently to build facilities and triage centers. National Guardsmen are helping to erect tents and create isolation areas in dozens of hospitals, Pritzker said.

Pritzker said the state is expected to see the peak of coronavirus cases in mid-April, according to studies, and officials are working to be prepared for the surge by that time.

Grammy Award-winning country singer Joe Diffie, 61, died Sunday from complications of coronavirus, according to his publishing agency Adkins Publicity.

Two days before his death, Diffie released a statement saying he had tested positive for coronavirus.

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Diffie was a 25-year member of the Grand Ole Opry. Some of his hits included "John Deere Greene" and "Home."

Both Nigeria's largest city and capital city will be under a "cessation of movement" for 14 days, said Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in a Sunday address, which was published on Twitter.

Based on advice from the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Buhari issued an order prohibiting all movements in Lagos and Federal Capital Territory for 14 days. The order will go into effect Monday at 11 p.m. local time.

"As we are all aware, Lagos and Abuja have the majority of confirmed cases in Nigeria. Our focus therefore remains to urgently and drastically contain these cases, and to support other states and regions in the best way we can," said Buhari.

Citizens in areas effected by Buhari's order will be required to stay in their homes and businesses and offices "should be fully closed during this period," Buhari said. Businesses involved in health care, food processing and distribution, petroleum, power and private security are exempt from the order. Workers in telecommunications and the media who prove they are unable to work from home are also exempt.

Maria Mercader, a CBS News producer and talent executive, has died of Covid-19 in New York, according to a news release from CBS News.

Mercader, 54, worked at CBS for three decades, most recently as a director of talent strategy. She "courageously fought cancer and related illnesses for 20 years, enduring numerous treatments and surgeries," CBS said.

"Maria was a friend to all," said Laurie Orlando, senior vice president of talent for CBS News. "It’s nearly impossible to be someone EVERYONE loves, but Maria was. She always had a warm hug, a word of advice or support and a big smile for everyone in her life. She was a bright light and will be sorely missed."

Mercader helped produce breaking news coverage during her years working on the foreign and national desks of CBS News, including the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 attacks, the release said. She won a business Emmy in 2004 for her work on a CBS "Sunday Morning" report on computer spam.

Mercader is survived by her father, Manuel and brother, Manuel, the release said.

There are at least 133,924 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to CNN Health’s tally of cases detected and tested through US public health systems.

A total of 2,352 people have died in the US from coronavirus. 

For the most up-to-date US numbers compiled by CNN, please check this map which automatically refreshes every 10 minutes:

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/

Moscow imposed a citywide quarantine starting March 30 until further notice for all residents regardless of their age, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement. 

“(Since restrictions were imposed) movements in the city decreased by two-thirds, which this is very good,” Sobyanin said. "Although it is obvious that not everyone heard us."

Residents will only be able to leave their houses to get urgent medical help, go to a nearby grocery store or pharmacy, and to walk their pets in the proximity of 100m from their residence. The exception will be made for essential workers.

City officials will deploy a "smart monitoring" system to enforce these restrictions, Sobyanin said, and the city will develop a special pass system for people to get permission to leave their homes.

Public and private transportation, as well as leaving or entering the city, is still allowed, according to the statement.