April 3 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Rob Picheta, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 8:02 a.m. ET, April 4, 2020

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3:22 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

Supreme Court to postpone remaining two weeks of arguments

From CNN's Ariane de Vogue

The Supreme Court on Friday said that it will postpone the remaining two weeks of arguments that were set to begin on April 20 and that it is considering rescheduling some of the 20 or so cases that it has had to put off so far in response to Covid-19.

“The court will consider rescheduling some cases from the March and April sessions before the end of the Term, if circumstances permit in light of public health and safety guidance at that time,” said court spokesperson Kathy Arberg. “The court will consider a range of scheduling options and other alternatives if arguments cannot be held in the courtroom before the end of the term.”

According to the statement, the justices will release opinions for all the cases that have been argued so far this term.

3:19 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

Pentagon deploying a mortuary affairs unit to NYC to support the medical examiner

From CNN's Barbara Starr

An NYC Medical Examiner van is parked along the street where members Air Force Reserve build a makeshift morgue outside Bellevue Hospital in New York City on March 25. Anthony Behar/Sipa via AP

The Pentagon is deploying a deploying a mortuary affairs unit to New York City to support the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, a US defense official said Friday.

The deployment is at the request of Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Under our Defense Support to Civil Authorities mission, U.S. Northern Command is facilitating this request on behalf of DoD. These highly trained specialists will assist New York City with the solemn duty of properly handling human remains during this pandemic. Forty-two Soldiers from the 54th Quartermaster Company, from Fort Lee, Va., have deployed to Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Federal and local laws regulate how these operations are conducted in the United States,” the official said.

3:12 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

North Carolina says 43% of people diagnosed with Covid-19 are ages 25-49

From CNN's Chris Boyette

Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), announced Friday that 43% of people diagnosed with Covid-19 are ages 25-49.

So far, 29% are age 50-64 and 20% are age 65 and up, Cohen said.

While Covid-19 has been more deadly and severe for people older than 60 and those with underlying health, health officials and leaders around the country have been imploring younger people to practice social distancing.

“We're entering the first weekend of my order to stay at home. I need you to do just that. I know it's tempting to get away from all this and gather with friends and extended family, especially when Friday means the end of the week. Don't,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday. “This virus is still spreading quickly. No one is immune. There is no vaccination, and social distancing is our best protection… Lots of Tar Heel blue skies are in our forecast. I know it's hard, but stay at home anyway. We're in a crucial time period for flattening the curve. And we still need you to step up.”

By the numbers: NCDHHS reports 2,093 cases of Covid-19 in the state with 19 deaths. This up from 764 cases a week ago, according to Cohen.

There are 259 people in the hospital, the NCDHHS reports.

3:13 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

Pennsylvania has more than 800 people hospitalized for coronavirus

From CNN's Laura Ly

A Pennsylvania Task Force 1 member walks amongst the beds of a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients set up at Temple University in Philadelphia on March 30. Matt Rourke/AP

There are currently about 852 people in Pennsylvania hospitalized due to Covid-19 — about 10% of all cases, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said today.

Of those hospitalized, 241 have required intensive care, and 147 have needed ventilators, Levine said, adding that 12% of the state's nursing homes had at least one confirmed case.

3:03 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

Pennsylvania governor asks all residents to wear masks when leaving their home

A person wearing a mask walks past a boarded up business in Philadelphia, on Thursday, April 2. ( Matt Rourke/AP

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf asked in a press conference Friday that all Pennsylvanians wear a mask anytime they leave their home for essential needs.

“Today I am asking all Pennsylvanians to wear a mask anytime you leave your house. Masks help prevent people from sharing illnesses. They don’t do a great job at keeping people from getting sick, and they’re not foolproof. So it’s critical that our first act, as Secretary Levine said, is to ask ourselves if we really need to leave our house. If we don’t really, truly need to leave, then we shouldn’t,” Wolf said.

Wolf said that N95 and paper masks should still be reserved for healthcare workers, and that residents should use cloth to cover their nose and mouth, or make their own mask. Guidelines for making your own mask can be found on the state’s website, Wolf said.

“Wearing a mask will help us cut down the possibility that we might be infecting an innocent bystander, like that grocery store cashier, the pharmacist, or someone stocking shelves,” he said.

2:49 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

White House to give rapid Covid-19 screening tests to anyone in close contact with Trump and Pence

From CNN's Jim Acosta

A White House official confirmed reports that it will give rapid Covid-19 screening tests to anyone who comes in close contact with both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

“As the physician to the President and White House Operations continue to protect the health and safety of the President and Vice President, starting today anyone who is expected to be in close proximity to either of them will be administered a COVID-19 test to evaluate for pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers status to limit inadvertent transmission," Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.

The White House has been conducting temperature checks for those close to Trump and Pence since March 14.

2:43 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

Rhode Island governor announces 3 field hospital sites

From CNN's Carma Hassan

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo says the state is readying for a surge of coronavirus patients.

Right now, the state plans to set up three field hospitals: one at the Rhode Island Convention Center, one at a former bank and the last at a former Lowe’s warehouse building.

“We believe that those three sites alone will get us well over a thousand additional hospital beds,” Raimondo said.

2:40 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

WHO supports countries in their decisions around masks, official says

From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard

Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of health emergencies programme World Health Organization

While the World Health Organization has not changed its position on whether the general public should wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic, it will support individual countries in making their own national recommendations around mask wearing.

"We can certainly see circumstances in which the use of masks — both homemade and cloth masks — at the community level may help in an overall comprehensive response to this disease, and we will support governments in making those decisions based on the situation they find themselves in in terms of transmission," Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of health emergencies programme, said during a media briefing in Geneva on Friday.

Ryan said that wearing a mask in public doesn't necessarily protect the person wearing it, but rather helps to limit that person's likelihood of infecting others if that person is sick.

2:19 p.m. ET, April 3, 2020

Turkey makes masks mandatory in public and shuts down traffic in 30 areas

From CNN's Gul Tuysuz

A woman, wearing a mask and gloves walks by a statue in Istanbul, Friday, April 3. Emrah Gurel/AP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just announced stricter measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Here's a look at the measures:

Masks will be mandatory in supermarkets, bazaars and work places, Erdogan said in a televised address today.
Vehicular traffic is prohibited in and out of 30 major metropolitan areas as well as the province of Zonguldak, where there are high numbers of chronic respiratory illness, Erdogan said. Intercity travel is already restricted by plane and bus in Turkey. The new measure applies to private vehicles.
The new measures also extend the scope of aged-based mandatory lockdown to people under the age of 20, Erdogan said. Turkey previously instituted a forced quarantine for people over the age of 65 and for people with chronic illnesses.