Coronavirus live updates: China postpones important gathering of political and business leaders in Hainan

FAN Editor

People wait in a line to buy face masks at a retail store in the southeastern city of Daegu on February 25, 2020.

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This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.

  • Global cases: At least 110,029, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization
  • Global deaths: At least 3,817, according to the latest figures from the WHO

All times below are in Beijing time.

12:55 pm: China’s Boao Forum postpones its 2020 conference

The Boao Forum for Asia announced it is postponing its annual conference in China’s island province of Hainan to an unspecified time later this year. Often likened to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the Boao Forum was expected to gather over 2,000 political and business leaders from around the world in late March.

Separately, organizers for the 10th Beijing International Film Festival said the event will be postponed until further notice. It was initially scheduled to take place in April. — Wu

12:39 pm: Coachella organizers reportedly planning to postpone the music festival

Organizers are planning to postpone the music festival in California until October, Bloomberg News reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Representatives from Coachella did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comments. 

The event had originally been scheduled for April 10-12 and April 17-19.

California declared a state of emergency last week after a coronavirus-related death in the state. As of 7 a.m. PT Sunday, California had 114 cases of the new coronavirus, according to the state’s department of public health. That figure includes people from the Grand Princess cruise ship and those who have been federally repatriated, the department said. — Roy Choudhury

11:52 am: Singapore Airlines announced additional capacity cuts

Singapore’s national carrier said it was canceling more flights across its network for both Singapore Airlines and its regional carrier, SilkAir, through the end of May, citing weak travel demand. Last month, the company said it was temporarily ceasing some service on major flight routes around the world, including New York and London.

Singapore Airlines said Tuesday the cancellations to-date would reduce its capacity by 13.6% since the virus outbreak. 

“The SIA Group will continue to be nimble and flexible in adjusting our capacity to match the changing demand patterns in the market,” a spokesperson told CNBC. — Roy Choudhury

11:24 am: Another two people confirmed dead in China’s Fujian hotel collapse

Another two people are confirmed to have died after a hotel in China’s Fujian province collapsed Saturday evening, bringing the death toll to 20, according to state media. Among those who were trapped, 10 remain missing. The hotel was being used to quarantine people who came into contact with infected individuals. (see 8:10 a.m. update) — Roy Choudhury

11:14 am: All but four of Apple’s stores in mainland China have reopened

China is a crucial market for the iPhone maker — Apple previously warned it would not meet the already wider-than-usual revenue guidance it gave for the March quarter. Out of the 42 stores Apple has in mainland China, 38 of them are open again following a prolonged shutdown. Three stores in Tianjin, a major city in the northwest, and a retail location in a city west of Shanghai, remain closed. — Roy Choudhury

10:25 am: US companies in China still getting back to work

About a month after China’s extended Lunar New Year holiday ended, American companies are still facing challenges from the impact of the virus.
 
“Our member companies are in varying stages of resumption of productivity. So operations are mostly north of 50% in capacity, some are as high as 80%,” Greg Gilligan, chairman of the Beijing-based American Chamber of Commerce in China, said Tuesday during a call with reporters.
 
His comments came as the chamber released its survey of more than 370 members late last year, which found that about one-fifth of members reported a drop in revenues last year, a sharp increase from just 7% in 2017. Nearly one-fifth of respondents said they have moved or are considering moving capacity outside of China, a slightly slower continuation of a trend seen for the last two years, the chamber noted. — Cheng

10:20 am: White House says Trump has not been tested for the virus

The White House said Monday evening that U.S. President Donald Trump has not been tested for COVID-19 test because “he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms.” 

Trump had contact with two Republican congressmen before they announced they were entering self-quarantine after learning they had been previously exposed to someone diagnosed with the coronavirus. 

“President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him,” the White House said in a statement. — Roy Choudhury

10:00 am: Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff under self-quarantine 

U.S. President Donald Trump’s incoming White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is under self-quarantine after possibly “coming into contact” with someone who tested positive for the new coronavirus, NBC News reported. 

Meadows has tested negative for the virus and is not displaying symptoms, but will stay home until Wednesday “out of abundance of caution,” Ben Williamson, Meadows’ chief of staff, said in a statement to NBC.

Meadows was named as Trump’s next chief of staff last week, replacing Mick Mulvaney. — Lee

9:45 am: Cases in India climb to at least 44

India reported an additional case in the state of Punjab on Monday that brought the country’s total number of confirmed instances of infection to 44 three of those cases in the state of Kerala have already been discharged.

Close to 12,000 potential cases are being followed up on, according to the health ministry. It added that 404 Indian contacts of an American tourist who tested positive for the virus in Bhutan have been identified and put under surveillance in the northeast Indian state of Assam.

Local media also reported additional instances of confirmed cases that could push India’s total closer to 50 — but official confirmation of those instances were not immediately available. — Roy Choudhury

9:40 am: Boeing employee tests positive for COVID-19

An employee at Boeing’s Everett, Washington facility has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus disease, the company said in a statement. That employee is now in quarantine and receiving treatment, according to Boeing.

“As a precaution, we’ve asked all coworkers of the employee who were in close contact to remain home to self-quarantine and self-monitor, and we’ve conducted a thorough cleaning of the work areas and common spaces,” Boeing said. — Lee

9:25 am: South Korea reports 131 new cases, 3 additional deaths

South Korea confirmed another 131 cases, and three more deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday morning. 

That brings the country’s total to 7,513 cases, and 54 deaths, the KCDC said. — Lee

9:05 am: Chinese agriculture drone makers see demand rise

While the coronavirus outbreak in China has hit many industries hard, some technology start-ups in agriculture are seeing demand rise.

 “In the first two months of 2020, we delivered 4,000 units of our newly released agricultural drones,” Justin Gong, co-founder of XAG, a major agricultural drone maker based in the southern city of Guangzhou, said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation.

 XAG is not alone. In the north, Beijing Yifei Technology’s Chief Marketing Officer Liu Zhuo said he expects the company’s revenue to at least quadruple this year to over 30 million yuan ($4.31 million). — Ye

8:15 am: China reports 19 new cases, 17 more deaths

China reported 19 new confirmed cases and 17 additional deaths as of March 9, according to the country’s National Health Commission. Of the new cases, 17 were confirmed cases in Hubei province, where the virus was first discovered. All additional deaths were from Hubei.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 80,754, with 3,136 deaths in total. — Lee

8:10 am: Death toll rises to 18 in collapsed China quarantine hotel

At least 18 people have died after a hotel in China’s Fujian province collapsed on Saturday evening, according to state media, citing data as of Tuesday morning.

The hotel in the southeast Chinese port city of Quanzhou was used to quarantine people who had recent contact with coronavirus patients. Out of 71 people who were trapped, 12 are still missing, the report said. — Lee

All times below are in Eastern time.

6:53 pm: Trump says he’s working on a payroll tax cut to help US workers

President Donald Trump said he will be meeting with Senate and House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss a possible tax relief measure to provide “a timely and effective response to the coronavirus.”

“We are to be meeting with House Republicans, Mitch McConnell, and discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief,” Trump said at a press briefing with coronavirus task force members.

“It’s a big number,” he added. “We’re also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so they can be in a position where they’re not going to miss a paycheck.”

6 pm: Tesla shares plummet as cheap oil and coronavirus challenge electric car and solar sales

Tesla shares plummeted by 13.6% to $608 per share on Monday, dropping 6 percentage points more than the S&P for the day, as plunging oil prices and the continuing coronavirus outbreak weighed on investors.

The oil price battles between Saudi Arabia and Russia could challenge Tesla‘s electric vehicle and solar roof sales in markets where it remains more affordable for people to stick with fossil fuels, and where they are not incentivized to switch to renewables. Historically, when crude oil and gas prices decline, electric vehicle sales — and solar installations — slow down.

Tesla is also grappling with the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak in and beyond China. The epidemic has forced temporary closures of Tesla’s new Shanghai car plant and stores throughout the country. —Kolodny

5:30 pm: Trump had contact with congressmen Collins and Gaetz before they self-quarantined over coronavirus concerns

5:05 pm: Italy extends its quarantine to the entire country; PM asks residents to stay at home

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday he will sign a decree that extends the lock down of the Lombardy region to the entire country as Italy’s COVID-19 death toll continues to rise.

People throughout the country should not leave their homes other than for work and emergencies, Conte said. He added that all public gatherings will be banned and sporting events suspended.

Italian officials previously announced a lock down of the Lombardy region, which is the hardest-hit part of the country by COVID-19.

The new coronavirus has infected more than 9,172 across Italy, according to Johns Hopkins University, killing at least 463. —Feuer

Read CNBC’s coverage from the U.S. overnight: New Jersey declares state of emergency as cases surge in tri-state area

— CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng, Lilian Wu, Wendy Ye, Lora Kolodny, William Feuer and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.

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