This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
- Global cases: More than 1,280,000
- Global deaths: At least 69,789
- US cases: At least 337,600
- US deaths: At least 9,648
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
8:12 am: CVS launches drive-thru rapid testing in Rhode Island and Georgia
CVS Health said Monday it will be running two new drive-thru coronavirus testing locations and hopes to perform up to 1,000 tests a day.
The sites are at Georgia Tech in Atlanta and at Twin River Casino near Providence, Rhode Island. They will use Abbott Laboratories‘ rapid COVID-19 test and make testing available to patients who meet the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state governments. Both sites have large parking lots that can accommodate multiple lanes of cars.
The new sites will be open to all patients, but in order to receive an appointment for a test, customers will be required to preregister and prequalify online. No one will be admitted without preregistering. —Bertha Coombs
7:47 am: Japan’s Abe unveils ‘massive’ coronavirus stimulus worth 20% of GDP
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged on Monday to roll out an unprecedented economic stimulus package, equal to 20% of economic output, as his government vowed to take “all steps” to battle deepening fallout from the coronavirus, Reuters reported.
The package, to be confirmed by the cabinet on Tuesday, will total 108 trillion yen ($989 billion), far exceeding one compiled in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis totaling 56 trillion yen in size, with fiscal spending of 15 trillion yen. — Reuters
7:24 am: China vows to strengthen controls at land borders as cases rise
China will work to further avoid importing coronavirus cases through its land borders, the Chinese government said in a statement after a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.
The risk of the virus being imported into China via land borders is increasing and the number of such cases has exceeded those recorded at airports recently, the statement said. Of the 38 imported cases with symptoms recorded in mainland China on Sunday, 20 had arrived in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang after travelling overland from Vladivostok in neighboring Russia, having flown to Vladivostok from Moscow. —Reuters
7:11 am: Germany draws up plans to end lockdown
A man and a woman wearing face masks walk past advertisements of a shoe store temporarily selling face masks and antibacterial hygiene products in Berlin on March 16, 2020.
Tobias Schwarz | AFP | Getty Images
Germany has drawn up a list of measures, including an obligation to wear masks in public, limits on public gatherings and the rapid tracing of infection chains, that officials think should allow life to return to normal after lockdown’s scheduled end on April 19.
The proposals, contained in a draft action plan compiled by the Interior Ministry document and seen by Reuters, say the measures should be sufficient to keep the number of people infected by each person below 1 even as public life is allowed gradually to resume.
For this to be possible, mechanisms will have to be in place to track more than 80% of people an infected person had contact with within 24 hours of diagnosis. In return, schools will be able to reopen on a regional basis and strict border controls will be relaxed, the paper said. —Reuters
7:06 am: Apple to produce 1 million face shields per week
Apple is designing and producing face shields for medical workers, CEO Tim Cook said in a video on Sunday. The company is aiming to produce 1 million face shields per week.
“We’ve launched a company-wide effort, bringing together product designers, engineering, operations and packaging teams, and our suppliers to design, produce, and ship face shields for health workers,” Cook said. —Kif Leswing
7:03 am: JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says US can emerge from crisis stronger
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, detailed the bank’s strength in his widely-read annual letter. He said that JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, is prepared for the tumult caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
“We have the resources to emerge from this crisis as a stronger country,” Dimon said in the letter. “America is still the most prosperous nation the world has ever seen.”JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, is prepared for the tumult caused by the coronavirus epidemic, he said.
Here’s the full letter. —Hugh Son
5:55 am: Spain’s daily death toll continues to decline
Spain reported that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country had topped 135,302, up from 130,759 the previous day.
It reported 637 deaths Monday, down from 674 the previous day, and continuing a downwards trend after a peak of 950 recorded on Thursday. A total of 13,055 people have died in Spain from the virus. —Holly Ellyatt
5:15 am: Europe looks for lockdown exit strategy as rate of new coronavirus cases and deaths slows
There are tentative hopes in Europe that the coronavirus outbreak could be slowing, as the number of new infections and fatalities starts to slow down, according to data over the weekend.
The figures are prompting European leaders to look for an exit strategy to national lockdowns, while urging the public to maintain discipline while the apparent recovery from the outbreak is in its infancy. —Holly Ellyatt
4:45 am: UK car sales fell 44% in March, industry data shows
U.K. passenger car sales in March fell 44% compared with the same month last year to 254,684 units, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Monday.
The group, representing Britain’s car industry, cut its 2020 sales forecast by 23% to 1.73 million vehicles because of the impact of the coronavirus crisis. That’s 25% lower than the 2.31 million units registered in 2019. A further outlook will be published in April to reflect the latest conditions. —Holly Ellyatt
4:33 am: UK leader Boris Johnson ‘doing well’ in hospital, minister insists
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus news conference inside number 10 Downing Street on March 19, 2020 in London, England.
Leon Neal – WPA Pool | Getty Images
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “doing well” and is expected to be back at his office shortly, Housing Minister Robert Jenrick told the BBC. It comes after Johnson was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night for tests, 10 days after testing positive for coronavirus.
“He’ll stay in hospital as long as he needs to do that, but I’ve heard that he’s doing well and I very much look forward to him being back in Number 10 as soon as possible,” Jenrick told BBC radio. —Holly Ellyatt
Read CNBC’s coverage from CNBC’s Asia-Pacific and Europe teams overnight here: Spain’s daily death rate declines further; US virus hotspots in focus
