March 15 coronavirus news

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Sunday that he was declaring a public health emergency to allow the city to deploy all resources necessary to fight coronavirus.

Walsh said the city will require all bars and restaurants to reduce their capacity by 50% by removing and spreading out tables. These establishments cannot allow lines to form outside and must close by 11 p.m.

Any violations will result in an automatic shutdown for 30 days. The restriction on hours does not apply to delivery or takeout services, Walsh said, adding the city is encouraging the use of delivery services to support small businesses.

All Boston Public Schools will close starting Tuesday, Walsh said. Families will be able to pick up packaged meal options for their children every day and more food access is being worked on through city agencies and their non-profit partners, Walsh said. The city is talking with childcare providers and is working on plans for childcare going forward.

Students will be provided printed learning materials to use at home. Such materials will also be made available online and the city is working with internet providers to offer free and low-cost internet access to families in need, Walsh said.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ordering all bars and restaurants to close to the public beginning Monday night until March 30, he said at a press briefing Sunday. 

State officials are working with restaurant owners and food delivery services to coordinate so restaurants can keep kitchens open for food delivery. Pritzker is allowing for drive-through and curbside pickup at restaurants as well.   

Baghdad will be under a curfew starting Tuesday from 11 p.m. local time through March 23, 11 p.m. local time, according to the prime minister's office.

Under the curfew, people are not allowed to leave their houses for nearly a week. Security personnel, health workers, authorized media and diplomats are not included in the restriction, according to the statement from the prime minister's office. The government says it will allow for commercial movement of goods and food.

Separately, flights are suspended from Tuesday until March 24, according to the statement. On Saturday, Iraq’s Border Ports Commission extending the suspension of commercial trade through its land borders with Iran and Kuwait effective Sunday "until further notice."

The number of positive coronavirus cases in Germany has risen to 4,838 as of Sunday, according to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s agency for disease control. 

Included in that number are 12 deaths due to coronavirus, the disease control agency said.

Starting Sunday, all bars and restaurants in Ohio will close daily at 9 p.m. Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton will be signing an order Sunday to put the rule into effect. How long the order will be in effect is unclear at this time.

Carryout food is still allowed and encouraged, and restaurants can stay open to prepare carryout food, Gov. Mike DeWine said. DeWine said at a Sunday press conference that "this social distancing is absolutely, vitally important" due to the contagiousness of the coronavirus.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced Sunday that all pre-K-12 schools in the state will close no later than Wednesday and remain closed until April 6, according to a news release from Scott's office.

Students are not required to go to school Monday or Tuesday, if their parents or guardians would prefer to keep them home, Scott said.

“We must ensure children are safe, nourished, and still learning even as the traditional structure of school is disrupted," Scott said. "The work of educators will be essential in this effort.”

Scott's announcement said local districts will be tasked with three key components to support the state response:

Under the Scott's order, schools will remain operational for administrators, teachers and staff to sustain essential services and create a continuity of education plan by remote learning, the release said.

The Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has relaxed restrictions on truck driver hours for those making coronavirus-related emergency deliveries.

The relief, which was issued Friday, applies to six categories of emergency deliveries of goods and people and is good through April 12 unless it is rescinded sooner.

Drivers must be allowed to have downtime after the delivery, the FMCSA says. 

The FMCSA says it is the first time it has issued nationwide relief like this and came in response to the national emergency. 

Italy on Sunday announced 368 new deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in the country to 1,809, according to Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli.

Speaking at a press conference in Rome, Borrelli went on to reveal that the total number of positive cases registered in Italy reached 24,747 on Sunday, with an increase of 3,590 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours.

Colombia will block entry for all non-residents and require residents who enter the country to self-isolate for 14 days beginning on Monday in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, President Ivan Duque announced this afternoon.

On Saturday, Duque announced that Colombia will close its border with Venezuela.

By the numbers: Colombia currently has 34 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection.