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 343,421
- Global deaths: At least 14,790
- US cases: At least 35,224
- US deaths: At least 471
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
9:20 am: Starbucks hikes pay by $3 an hour
The signage of Starbucks Reserve is seen on the cups as a barista makes drip coffee at its new flagship store in Beijing, China June 30, 2018.
Jason Lee | Reuters
Starbucks baristas who continue to work will receive an extra $3 per hour for shifts through April 19.
The company on Friday closed most of its company-operated cafes across the U.S. and Canada, moving to drive-thru and delivery service only. Employees who are not working will receive catastrophe pay through April 19.
The global coffee chain joins Target, Whole Foods, and Amazon in offering extra pay to its workers during the crisis. —Amelia Lucas
9:17 am: Rep. Ben McAdams hospitalized after positive test
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, who tested positive last week for the disease caused by the coronavirus, said Sunday night that he has been hospitalized since Friday because of “severe shortness of breath,” NBC News reported.
McAdams said in a statement that he experienced worsening symptoms Friday evening and he called the hotline for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. He said he was told to go to the hospital.
“I was admitted and have been receiving oxygen as I struggled to maintain my blood oxygen at appropriate levels. I am now off oxygen and feeling relatively better and expect to be released as soon as the doctor determines it is appropriate,” he said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.
McAdams said his experience has shown him “how critical it is to follow the advice of the CDC and the Utah Department of Health in order to stop the spread of this virus.” —NBC News
9:04 am: Ken Langone blasts Washington, calls for passage of relief package
Ken Langone, chairman of one of the nation’s premier hospitals, warned both political parties to “redeem themselves” and pass a coronavirus stimulus package right away.
“To our people in Washington: Get off your asses! There’ll be plenty of time to argue philosophy and points of view. Right now, we need a bad transfusion in America. And they better get it done and better get it done today,'” said the billionaire chairman of the board of the NYU Langone Medical Center.
Langone, a political conservative who helped start Home Depot and founded of investment firm Invemed Associates, said the American people are closely watching what Washington does. —Matthew J. Belvedere
8:49 am: Global cases top 350,000, death toll passes 15,000 as pandemic takes hold
Medical take a patient’s coronavirus test during a trial run for a new FEMA drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic at CVS at 720 Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury, MA on March 19, 2020.
John Thlumacki | Boston Globe | Getty Images
COVID-19 has now infected more than 350,536 people, according to Johns Hopkins University, and killed at least 15,328 people.
Global cases have more than doubled in the past week, according to the World Health Organization, and worldwide deaths have nearly tripled.
Outside of China, where the virus emerged in December, Italy has the most confirmed cases with nearly 60,000. —Will Feuer
8:29 am: The Fed just pledged asset purchases with no limit to support markets
The Federal Reserve said it will launch a barrage of programs aimed at helping markets function more efficiently in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
Among the initiatives is a commitment to continue its asset purchasing program “in the amounts needed to support smooth market functioning and effective transmission of monetary policy to broader financial conditions and the economy.”
Others include an unspecified lending program for Main Street businesses and the Term Asset-Backed Loan Facility implemented during the financial crisis. There will be a program worth $300 billion “supporting the flow of credit” to employers consumers and businesses and two facilities set up to provide credit to large employers. —Jeff Cox
7:55 am: Broad testing across the US could be months away, Roche CEO says
Broad testing of every American, symptoms or not, could still be “weeks if not months” away, according to Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche, which has developed a coronavirus test being used in the U.S.
Schwan said his company has rolled out about 400,000 test kits over the past week. The kits are being used in every state, he said. Schwan added that U.S. testing capacity is still too low. “Demand continues to be much higher than supply,” he said. —Will Feuer
7:05 am: Cisco commits $225 million as Silicon Valley initiates investment blitz
7 am: Spain reports 462 new deaths, taking total fatalities to 2,182
A tourist wearing a protective mask takes a selfie outside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on March 11, 2020 after Spain banned all air traffic from Italy, closed schools and blocked fans from football matches after being caught off-guard by a near tripling of coronavirus infections in less than 48 hours.
Lluis Gene | AFP | Getty Images
Spain’s health ministry confirmed 462 deaths overnight, bringing the country’s total number of COVID-19 fatalities nationwide to 2,182.
Spain has reported the fourth-highest number of infections worldwide to date, according to Johns Hopkins University, behind China, Italy and the U.S., respectively. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Sunday his intention to extend the country’s state of emergency by 15 days. —Sam Meredith
6:58 am: Top US health official says it’s ‘premature’ to say if the US has failed
Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks as US President Donald Trump listens during the daily press briefing on the Coronavirus pandemic situation at the White House on March 17, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
The battle against the coronavirus pandemic is like “the fog of war,” top U.S. health official Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Science magazine. He said it was “premature” to assess whether the U.S. plan has failed or not.
Fauci, who director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been on the front line of the government response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“It’s almost like the fog of war. After the war is over, you then look back and say, ‘Wow, this plan, as great as it was, didn’t quite work once they started that throwing hand grenades at us,'” Fauci said. —Weizhen Tan
5:10 am: Poland urges International Olympics Committee to delay Tokyo 2020 Games
People wearing protective face masks, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, are seen next to the Olympic rings in front of the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo, Japan, February 26, 2020.
Athit Perawongmetha | Reuters
Poland’s representatives are calling on the International Olympics Committee to delay the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The request comes less than 24 hours after the IOC said it would step up its planning of the event to safeguard the health of everyone involved. The Olympic Games are scheduled for July 24 through to Aug. 9, with the Paralympic Games set to run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6.
Canada has said it will not send teams to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, saying “nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community.” —Sam Meredith
4:30 am: European markets tumble; Stoxx 600 down 4.5%
European markets traded lower as the coronavirus outbreak continues to take its toll on the international community and financial markets. The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 4.5% shortly after the opening bell, with industrials plunging 6% to lead losses as all sectors and major bourses slid deep into negative territory. —Holly Ellyatt
3:50 am: Hong Kong to ban all tourists
A security guard wearing protective gear checks the temperature of the visitor at the entrance of Accident & Emergency at Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong, China, on Feb. 4, 2020.
Bloomberg
