By Amy Woodyatt, Julia Hollingsworth, Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN
From CNN’s Janine Mack
United Airlines is extending its change fee waiver until the end of April, according to a notice on its website.
United says customers will be able to change their travel plans for any flight that is booked between now and April 30, no matter what the actual scheduled date of travel. The company had already announced that all flights scheduled to depart through May 31 can be changed without fees.
Washington, DC has become the latest location to issue a stay-at-home order, according to a statement from the Mayor Muriel Bowser's office.
“Our message remains the same: stay home,” the mayor said in the statement. “Staying at home is the best way to flatten the curve and protect yourself, your family, and our entire community from COVID-19. Many people want to know how they can help right now, and for most people this is how – by staying home.”
According to the order, all DC residents may only leave their home for essential activities like buying food and medical care. Essential workers are exempt from the order.
Neighboring states Maryland and Virginia issued similar orders today.
From CNN's Mark Morales
New York City has applied to the federal government for a second disaster relief morgue that is expected to be placed in Queens, a city official confirmed to CNN.
The exact location isn’t known yet and it’s not known when the city’s application will be accepted, the official added.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) previously said it received a request from New York and other states for assistance with mortuary operations. Hawaii and North Carolina have made similar requests.
On Monday, FEMA confirmed they have received a request from New York City for 250 ambulances and assistance from the Disaster Mortuary Operational Rescue Team (DMORT) for 85 refrigerated storage units and mortuary affairs teams.
Two experts from the DMORT have been deployed to New York City to “to serve as consultants for mortuary affairs and to help identify federal support needed in the area,” FEMA said.
CNN has reached out to FEMA for further comment.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this alert
From CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich and Peter Valdes-Dapena
Ford will produce 50,000 ventilators in Michigan over the next 100 days, the company announced today.
This is the second ventilator partnership the automaker will produce with GE. Production is expected to start the week of April 20 at a Ford plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with the capacity to produce 30,000 ventilators per month if needed.
This new initiative is in addition to the program by Ford and GE Healthcare to increase production of existing GE Healthcare ventilators, which they announced last week. The ventilators will be produced by 500 paid volunteer UAW employees over three shifts.
“The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, working creatively and tirelessly, have found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in meaningful numbers,” said Jim Hackett, Ford’s CEO. “By producing this ventilator in Michigan, in strong partnership with the UAW, we can help health care workers save lives, and that’s our No. 1 priority.”
From CNN's Mia Alberti in Lisbon
An A400 Spanish military plane arrived on Monday at the Zaragoza airport carrying about 15 tons of medical supplies from China, Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced at a news conference.
Part of the supplies will go to the Spanish autonomous island regions.
Robles said the supplies are "essential" to Spain's fight against Covid-19.
She also announced "a battalion of engineers" will build another makeshift hospital in the indoor running track of Sabadel in Madrid, and plans for another center in Barcelona are being discussed.
Hear more:
From CNN’s Bill Kirkos in Chicago
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the US Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA announced plans to temporarily convert part of the McCormick Place Convention Center into an care facility for Covid-19 patients experiencing mild symptoms who don’t require intensive care.
The buildout of the facility will take place in phases, and will ultimately house 3,000 patients between three different locations at the convention center, according to a statement.
Construction is currently underway with up to 500 beds expected to be assembled by the end of this week.
From CNN’s Mallory Simon and Nadia Kounang
Dr. James T. Goodrich, the neurosurgeon who allowed CNN inside a remarkable operation to separate twins Jadon and Anias McDonald, died on Monday after complications related to Covid-19, according to the hospital where he worked.
"Dr. Goodrich was a beacon of our institution and he will be truly missed," said Montefiore Medicine CEO Dr. Philip O. Ozuah. "His expertise and ability were second only to his kind heart and manner."
The hospital described Goodrich as a "humble and truly caring man" who "did not crave the limelight and was beloved by his colleagues and staff." They spoke of his skills as a neurosurgeon, but also of his spirit, including how he baked cookies during the holidays and hand-delivered them to nurses.
"Jim was in many ways the heart and soul of our department - a master surgeon, a world-class educator, and a beloved colleague for all," Dr. Emad Eskandar, chair of the department of neurosurgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center said. "His sudden loss is heart-breaking and his memory will always remain foremost in our thoughts."
The hospital called Goodrich a pioneer in the field of helping children with complex neurological conditions; he developed a multi-stage approach for separating craniopagus twins, like Jadon and Anias McDonald, who were fused at the brain and skull.
In 2016, Goodrich led a team of 40 doctors in a 27-hour surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx to separate Anias and Jadon, who were 13 months old when they were separated. CNN was in the operating room with Goodrich and the team as the boys were separated.
Goodrich, who was in this 70s, spent more than 30 years at Montefiore Einstein and was the director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Montefiore and professor of clinical neurological surgery, pediatrics, plastic and reconstructive surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
He is survived by his wife and three sisters.
From CNN's Laura Ly
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said today that he originally asked for 2,300 ventilators from the federal government. CNN has previously reported that 300 ventilators from the federal stockpile are on their way to the state.
Murphy thanked the Trump administration for their assistance, but still argued that the state needs an additional 2,000 ventilators in the long run.
Murphy said he would continue to advocate for New Jersey to get these ventilators from the federal government, but that the state is also looking for purchase additional ventilators through their own means as well.
From CNN’s Bill Kirkos in Chicago
Illinois will temporarily convert part of the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago into a care facility for Covid-19 patients experiencing mild symptoms who don’t require intensive care.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency just announced the plan together.
The buildout of the facility will take place in phases, and will ultimately house 3,000 patients between three different locations at the convention center, a press release from Lightfoot’s office read.
Construction is currently underway with up to 500 beds expected to be assembled by the end of this week.