The number of deaths related to the novel coronavirus in the United States surpassed 110 on Tuesday, as the White House continued to work with lawmakers in Congress on a potential relief package that could see checks being sent to Americans within the next two weeks.
Globally, the number of infections surpassed 201,000, with more than 8,200 deaths worldwide, according to data from the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker. The rapidly spreading virus known as COVID-19 has prompted officials across the country to warn that more draconian measures could be taken over the next few weeks to help curb its spread.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio warned New Yorkers that they could be asked to 'shelter-in-place,' over the next few days, after San Francisco ordered some 7 million residents to do so on Monday. Meanwhile, more cities and states are telling nonessential businesses to close their doors for at the least the next 30 days.
Here is your coronavirus update for Wednesday, March 18:
Las Vegas Casinos to Close Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
What happens in Las Vegas really will have to stay in Vegas after Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered the closure of all nonessential businesses for the next 30 days amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes all casino and gaming operations, which were ordered to be closed by midnight Tuesday.
Several properties on The Strip had already announced they were closing their doors amid the coronavirus pandemic. MGM Resorts which owns several properties on the strip, announced on March 15 that they were temporarily closing their properties (Bellagio, CityCenter, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, New York-New York, Park MGM and T-Mobile Arena) to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
MGM Resorts said that they were coordinating with local food banks to donate all food to the community.
Before the Gov.';s announcement on Tuesday, Las Vegas Sands, which owns the Venetian and Palazzo resorts on The Las Vegas Strip, announced they would close through at least April 1. Employees at those properties will continue to be paid through the closure, according to an email sent to the company's employees. No layoffs or furloughs were being considered and there would not be an impact on employees' health care eligibility.
"While we hope this closure is a short-term necessity, we are realistic it may be a prolonged event," Sands President Rob Goldstein said. "Our team members and their families will rightly be concerned about their health and safety, but we do not want them worried about their jobs, income or health care."
California Schools Could be Closed Through the End of the School Year
California Governor Gavin Newsom warned Tuesday that public schools in the state are likely to be closed for the remainder of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Don’t anticipate schools are going to open up in a week. Please don’t anticipate in a few weeks," Newsom said during a news conference on the state’s coronavirus efforts Tuesday afternoon. “I would plan, and assume, that it’s unlikely that many of these schools - few, if any - will open before the summer break."
With 98.8% of schools in the state closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Newsom said the state's education department will put together guidelines on how schools can continue educating the state's some 6.1 million students.
“I don’t want to mislead you, to six-plus million kids in our system and their families, they need to make some plans at a time when a lot of plans are already being curtailed," Newsom added. "But planning with kids is some of the most challenging planning."
The state's response is unprecedented, something that Linda Darling-Hammond, the president of the state board of education, tried to put in persepective for the parents, teachers, staff and students who have been affected by the school closures.
“We haven’t had this kind of shutdown of civil society or schools since the Spanish influenza in 1918,” she said. “It’s been a century since we saw anything like this. And in that case as well, whole cities had to close down. So the magnitude is enormous.”
Darling-Hammond put the closures into perspective in relation to how the pandemic was affecting other people.
"School is one thing, but there are going to be people losing their jobs," she said. "People who need to be able to pay rent, people that need to be able to eat, and we have to be able to take care of that as well."
She added that everyone in state government have been "stepping up to assist or provide guidance" to the school districts across the state.
Gun and Ammunition Sales Spike Amid Coronavirus Fears
People's fears over the novel coronavirus has led to a spike in gun and ammunition sales across the nation, with lines at some gun stores rivaling those currently being found at grocery stores.
"Just like the food, just to be prepared," one man told KFI's Rob Newton, while waiting in line at Ammo Bros in Santa Ana, California.
"Systems could break down and people get desperate when things don't work the way they're supposed to," another person said.
Retailers say people are feeling uneasy about the virus and that seeing people buying more ammo leads to them thinking they they should be stocking up on ammo as well.
The year has already seen a high number of background checks with over 5.5 million checks conducted in January and February combined, according to data from the FBI.
Blood Shortages Prompt Call for Blood Donations
Thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, hospitals are finding themselves short on blood, prompted health officials to call on healthy Americans to donate blood if they can. The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said health officials are worried about potential blood shortages in the future.
"You can still go out and give blood." Adams said on The Today Show Tuesday morning. "Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement,"
The American Red Cross put out a call for donations after they had to cancel nearly 2,700 Red Cross blood drives across the country. That's resulted in some 86,000 fewer blood donations, according to the Red Cross's website.
"As a nation, this is a time where we must take care of one another including those most vulnerable among us in hospitals,” Gail McGovern, president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross, said in Tuesday's announcement.
The Red Cross sought to reassure any fears people who afraid to donate amid the coronavirus by outlining the additional precautions they'd put into place at their blood donation centers to protect anyone who comes out to donate.
“One of the most important things people can do right now during this public health emergency is to give blood. If you are healthy and feeling well, please make an appointment to donate as soon as possible. We understand why people may be hesitant to come out for a blood drive but want to reassure the public that blood donation is a safe process, and that we have put additional precautions in place at our blood drives to protect the health of safety of our donors and staff."
Some of the measures being taken by Red Cross staff:
- Checking the temperature of staff and donors before entering a blood drive to make sure they are healthy.
- Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process.
- Spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between blood donors.
- Increasing enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment.
You can schedule a donation appointment on the Red Cross's website here.
MLB Teams Commit At Least $30 Million to Support Ballpark Employees
All 30 major league teams committed $1 million to a fund designed to help thousands of ballpark employees who will be affected by the delay of the baseball season, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday.
“Over the past 48 hours, I have been approached by representatives of all 30 clubs to help assist the thousands of ballpark employees affected by the delay in the start of the Major League Baseball season,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million. The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities."
Details on how the funds will be disbursed will be forthcoming by each team.
"I am so proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love," Manfred said.
Baseball's Opening Day was originally scheduled for March 26, but it was delayed indefinitely amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said gathering of 50 or more people should be avoided for the next eight weeks.
In addition to the $30 million, MLB and the MLB Players Association announced they would make a combined $1 million donation to Feeding America and Meals on Wheels America to assist those who have difficulty accessing food.
To keep up to date on the latest news about the coronavirus and to understand what you need to stay safe and healthy, check out the Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction podcast from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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