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Total cases: More than 31,000 as of Friday morning.
Total deaths: At least 636 worldwide as of Friday morning
10:29 am: White House sees a minimal impact on U.S. economic growth from outbreak
The White House’s economic adviser said that President Donald Trump’s administration does not expect the coronavirus in China will have a major effect on the U.S. economy. “There’s a lot of variables involved and things we don’t know. Internally we have looked at a drop in GDP of perhaps two-tenths of 1% — that’s all we found so far. Again, based on the past and based on what we’re seeing ” National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told reporters. —Reuters
10:16 am: CDC removes four from Royal Caribbean cruise for testing in New Jersey
The Centers for Disease Control said a family of four have been removed from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship at the Bayonne Port in New Jersey. “The family has a travel history to mainland China, but not a history of travel to Hubei Province,” CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund said. New Jersey Department of Health will facilitate the specimen collection, and the samples will be sent to CDC for testing.” Health officials screened about two dozen for the virus, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis tweeted. —Feuer
10:14 am: WHO holds press conference on outbreak
World Health Organization officials are holding a press conference to update the public on the new coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the group’s director-general, said the number of new cases is slowing. However, he expressed concern about supplies of items such as masks to protect against the virus, saying the prices of some of these items are skyrocketing. —Cheddar Berk
9:48 am: The number of cases on Carnival cruise ship near Japan jumps by 41
The Japanese Health Ministry confirmed 41 new cases of the virus on a quarantined cruise ship off the coast of Japan. The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival’s Princess Cruises, is carrying about 3,700 passengers and crew at the port of Yokohama. The new cases bring the total to 61 cases out of 273 people who were suspected to be exposed to the virus and tested for it. Among the newly infected people, there is one from Argentina, five from Australia, five from Canada, 21 from Japan, one from the U.K. and eight from the U.S. —Feuer
9:20 am: Van’s parent says 60% of its stores in China are closed for now
Shares of VF Corp., the parent of Vans, were down slightly after the company revealed it has been forced to close about 60% of its owned and licensed stores in China due to the outbreak. Stores in mainland China had accounted for about 6% of its fiscal 2019 revenue. In addition, the company sources about 16% of its total cost of goods sold from China, and about 7% of that gets shipped to the U.S. market. VF said it’s “not possible” to gauge the impact of its supply chain at this time. —Cheddar Berk
8:39 am: Canada Goose says travel restrictions are hurting sales
8:15 am: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says outbreak is not hitting the business
7:49 am: Burberry closes a third of its China stores, revises guidance
Burberry warned of a hit to demand, withdrew its financial guidance for 2020 and said it had closed more than a third of its stores in mainland China. It said spending by Chinese tourists in Europe and elsewhere had not been hurt as much, but given widening travel restrictions, it forecast this would worsen in the coming weeks. — Reuters
7:20 am: Ericsson withdraws from major Barcelona conference over coronavirus concerns
Sweden’s Ericsson has announced it will not attend Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, later this month, saying it cannot ensure the safety of employees and customers amid concerns over the coronavirus. “The health and safety of our employees, customers and other stakeholders are our highest priority. This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” CEO and President Borje Ekholm said in a statement. “We were looking forward to showcasing our latest innovations at MWC in Barcelona. It is very unfortunate, but we strongly believe the most responsible business decision is to withdraw our participation from this year’s event.” — Meredith
6:35 am: WHO director-general warns of a chronic shortage of personnel protective equipment
The director-general of the World Health Organization has warned about the risk of a chronic shortage of protective equipment as countries work to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking at an executive board meeting at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was concerned about a lack of masks, gloves and other protective equipment, Reuters reported. Tedros also said there had been fewer reported coronavirus infections in China over the last two days. However, “the numbers could go up again,” he cautioned. Late last month, health experts told CNBC that the panic buying of face masks to protect against the coronavirus was “completely understandable,” but ultimately unwarranted. They also warned a shortage of masks could pose a risk to health workers. — Meredith
