March 30 coronavirus news

By Amy Woodyatt, Julia Hollingsworth, Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 11:41 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020

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8:35 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

White House coronavirus coordinator to rural Americans: "You have to prepare"

From CNN's Gisela Crespo

Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House, Sunday, March 29. Patrick Semansky/AP

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, urged rural communities in the US to prepare for the spread of Covid-19, "even though you think it's not there.”

When Birx was asked on NBC's “Today” show what her message was to rural areas in the country, she said this:

"This virus, we think, can spread with a lot of asymptomatic and mild cases. It's not until it gets into the vulnerable groups that you start to see the hospitalizations."

"If you wait for that, if the metros and rural areas don't take care now, by the time you see it, it has penetrated your community pretty significantly. And that's what we're concerned about. And that's why you have to prepare, even though you think it's not there," Birx told NBC's Savannah Guthrie.

8:28 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Germany's Bavaria extends restrictions until middle of April

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder Peter Kneffel/POOL/AFP/Getty Images/FILE

The German state of Bavaria is extending the period of self-isolation and movement measures until April 19, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder announced Monday.

If we had not taken these measures we would now have at least 5,000 more cases,'' he said at a press conference in Munich.

Bavaria has 14,437 cases — an increase of 1,174 new cases since Sunday. At least 133 of the cases are fatalities, Soeder said.

“We still have an exponential growth, but the curve is flattening.” Soeder said. "Measures are working, they are necessary and they must and will be continued."

8:26 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Michigan governor: "The enemy is Covid-19"

Julia Pickett/Michigan Office of the Governor/AP

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told CNN she is trying to build a consortium with other states to get the PPE supplies that the state needs.

She says they are "living day by day" at this juncture.

Whitmer says there is np "such thing as partisanship right now."

"The enemy is Covid-19," she said. "We’re not one another’s enemy and we’re working really hard to build a relationship with the federal government."

See the moment:

8:16 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Israel's Netanyahu will self-isolate after aide tests positive for Covid-19

From Mike Schwartz and Andrew Carey in Jerusalem

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of his office are to self-isolate after a close aide, Rivkah Paluch, tested positive for coronavirus.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu and colleagues would enter self-quarantine as a precaution while an epidemiological investigation was carried out into any possible exposure to the virus.

The statement said that the Health Ministry in consultation with the Prime Minister’s personal doctor would determine when self-isolation would end.

8:11 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Prince Charles out of isolation and in good health after coronavirus diagnosis

From CNN’s Max Foster in London

Eamonn M. McCormack/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Charles is in good health after completing a mandated seven days of self-isolation for coronavirus.

“Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” a royal source told CNN.

A self-isolation period of seven days is in accordance with government and medical guidelines in the UK. The Duke of Cornwall was diagnosed with coronavirus last week and self-isolated at his residence in Scotland.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall continues to self-isolate because she needs to see if she develops symptoms, according to the source.

8:09 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

It's just gone 8 a.m. in New York. Here's the latest from around the world.

Russian police officers patrol the deserted Red square in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Monday, March 30, as the city and its surrounding regions imposed lockdowns. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

It's Monday morning in the US. Here's a look at the biggest coronavirus news from the weekend and overnight:

Trump extends federal social distancing guidelines to April 30: Americans will be encouraged to avoid leaving their houses and keep working from home, as infections rise across the country. "The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end," President Trump said Sunday.
Easing distancing guidelines in the US “wrong decision”: Relaxing distancing guidelines at the end of the original 15-day period not only would have been the "wrong decision" but could have accelerated the coronavirus crisis in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on "New Day" on Monday morning.
Italy is on the verge of 100,000 cases: The coronavirus is spreading rapidly across Europe, with the worst affected countries still Italy, Spain and Germany. With more than 97,000 cases of the virus, Italy is likely to soon become the second country in the world to break the 100,000, after the United States. On Monday, the country’s association of doctors announced that 61 Italian doctors have died so far during coronavirus crisis.
UK outbreak shows signs of slowing, expert says: The UK could remain under coronavirus emergency measures for as long as six months, a top health official has said — even as one expert said there were early signs that the outbreak was slowing in Britain
Hungarian parliament to vote on whether Orban can rule by decree: The Hungarian parliament will Monday vote on whether to allow Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to rule by decree because of the coronavirus.

8:03 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 2021

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021.

The Tokyo 2020 organization committee president Yoshiro Mori said he had a phone call with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach today, where they agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

7:57 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

61 Italian doctors have died during coronavirus crisis

From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite in London

In Italy, 61 doctors who caught the coronavirus have died, the Italian Association of Doctors said Monday.

In all, 8,358 health workers have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Italian National Institute of Health.

Out of the 61 deceased doctors, 40 were working in Lombardy, the Italian region worst-hit by coronavirus.

On the verge of 100,000 cases: With more than 97,000 cases of the virus, Italy is likely to soon become the second country in the world to break the 100,000 mark after the United States.

Medical personnel transport a coronavirus patient to a field hospital in Cremona, Italy, on March 20. Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images

Why has Italy become such a hot spot? There is no clear answer yet as to why Italy has been so badly affected by the coronavirus. Some people have suggested it could be the climate or the high number of elderly citizens. Whatever the reason, Italy still has the highest death toll in the world at 10,779 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

8:07 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

From Wednesday, it will be compulsory to wear face masks in Austrian supermarkets

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

A person pushes a shopping cart with groceries in Stockerau, Austria on March 13. Herbert Pfarrhofer/APA/AFP/Getty Images

The wearing of face masks in supermarkets will become compulsory from Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced.

''As of the moment these masks are handed out in front of the supermarkets and it will become compulsory to wear them in supermarkets'', Kurz said, adding that ''the goal is in the medium term to not only wear these masks in supermarkets but also more generally wherever people have contact with each other''

''It would be a mistake to think that such masks protect you - that is definitely not the case. But what can be ensured by this is that there is no risk of transmission in the air. By wearing the mask you can protect other people, '' Kurz added.

Hotel and restaurant ban for tourists: Austria's government also announced Monday it will ban the use of hotels and its restaurants ''for touristic use'' until after Easter to help slow the spread of coronavirus.