Coronavirus live updates: France shutters schools, New York bans gatherings over 500

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 127,800, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
• Global deaths: At least 4,718, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
• US cases: At least 1,323, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
• US deaths: At least 38, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Amazon is blocking new listings for face masks, hand sanitizer and other coronavirus-related products on its site, marking its latest effort to stamp out price gouging. 

The company confirmed to CNBC that it sent out a notice to sellers this week informing them that it’s not accepting applications to sell “disposable face masks, hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes/sprays, isopropyl alcohol or related products.”  — Palmer

JetBlue has reached out to its suppliers and vendors to ask for lower rates and extended payment terms in a bid to preserve cash as the coronavirus roils the airline industry, the company’s CEO Robin Hayes said in a memo to employees.

Airbus, which supplies most of JetBlue’s fleet, did not immediately comment. Hayes is also taking a temporary 20% pay cut, and other directors will follow suit, according to the memo.

Hayes also warned employees “we will hear more frequently about people who have flown with us or work at JetBlue testing positive” for COVID-19, after it was reported that a JetBlue passenger on a flight from New York to Florida found out he was positive for the virus. — Leslie Josephs

The NCAA has canceled its March Madness basketball tournaments — and “all remaining winter and spring” championships — as coronavirus fears upend the sports world. 

“This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” the organization said in a statement. 

Earlier Thursday, major conferences canceled their championship tournaments and sports organizations across the world rolled out fan restrictions and suspensions of play in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. —Sara Salinas, Chris Eudaily 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency, just hours after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new restrictions for large events and businesses. De Blasio said he expected that large venues like Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center and Radio City Music Hall will not operate “for a number of months.” —Sara Salinas 

The world’s leading forces in live entertainment have recommended that large scale events taking place through the end of March be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“We continue to support that small scale events follow guidance set by their local government officials,” the group said in a statement. “We feel fortunate to have the flexibility to reschedule concerts, festivals, and live events as needed, and look forward to connecting fans with all their favorite artists and live entertainment soon.” —Sarah Whitten

Stocks sold off into the closing bell, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off more than 2,300 points — or 10%. The S&P 500 ended the trading session 9.5% down, joining the Dow in bear market territory, down more than 20% from record highs. 

“The coronavirus is scary and people don’t know what to expect,” said Kathy Entwistle, senior vice president of wealth management at UBS. “It’s like the tsunami is coming. We know it’s going to hit any day and nobody knows what the outcome is going to be.” —Sara Salinas, Fred Imbert

With more than 127,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide, one question still lingers: “What should I do — and expect — if I think I have COVID-19?” The short answer is: It depends.

“The most important message is that if you’re young and otherwise relatively healthy, it will most likely be similar to a common cold — or, worst case, the flu,” Dr. Sandra Kesh, deputy medical director at Westmed Medical Group, tells CNBC Make It.

For more on main symptoms, when to see a doctor, how to get tested, and what happens if you test positive, read CNBC Make It’s full coverage. —Jessica Migala

France will from next week close all creches, schools and universities to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address.

Describing the outbreak as France’s biggest public health crisis in a century, Macron also urged employers to let staff work from home, and said that the elderly and people with health conditions should stay indoors.

He said, however, that municipal elections scheduled for this weekend should go ahead. —Reuters

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is holding a press conference to address new restrictions on the city amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which has infected at least 62 people in the city and more than 300 people across the state. Watch de Blasio’s press conference live here. —Sara Salinas

Major League Baseball will delay opening day games and cancel spring training games due to the coronavirus, the league announced.

MLB will delay opening day by at least two weeks, the league said in a statement. 

MLB is the latest U.S. professional sports organization to halt its games due to the coronvirus. Earlier Thursday, the National Hockey League “paused” its season, and one day prior, the National Basketball Association suspended its regular-season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus. —Jabari Young

Rome’s Catholic churches were ordered closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, in a moved believed to be unprecedented in modern times.

The decree by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Pope Francis’ vicar for the Rome archdiocese, will remain in effect until at least April 3.

Previously, only Masses had been cancelled because of the outbreak. The decree also dispenses Catholics in the archdiocese from their obligation to attend Mass on Sunday’s and Holy Days. —Reuters

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state is likely to see a similar spread of COVID-19 as China, South Korea and Italy where the new coronavirus has millions of people under lockdown and has shuttered commerce.

“I’ve said the same thing to you every day for the past three weeks I think. You are going to see these numbers are going to go up,” Cuomo said during a press conference. 

“What makes you think that the virus in China, the virus in South Korea, the virus in Italy wasn’t going to react any differently than the virus here?” he said. “You are going to see the same trajectory that you saw in China, South Korea and Italy and it is going to happen here as the virus spreads because of the way it is actually contagious.” —Berkeley Lovelace

Major League Baseball will suspend all operations, including spring training, due to the coronavirus, according to NBC News.

MLB is expected to announce its plans later on Thursday.

The leagues is the latest U.S. professional sports organization to halt its games due to the coronvirus. Earlier Thursday, the National Hockey League “paused” its season, and one day prior, the National Basketball Association suspended its regular-season after a Utah Jazz player tested. —Jabari Young

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on gatherings of 500 or more people across the state as public officials try to contain a fast-moving coronavirus outbreak that has infected at least 328 people in New York.

Cuomo said the state was trying to limit the contagion by reducing “density,” or events where a large number of people gather in a close environment.

“So, we’re going to take very dramatic actions in that regard to reduce the number of people in a contagious environment,” Cuomo said during a press briefing on Thursday. “No gatherings with 500 people or more.”

The rules take effect at 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, except for Broadway theaters in Manhattan, which will need to adhere by the rules starting at 5 p.m. tonight, he said. —Will Feuer

Norwegian Air will scrap 4,000 flights and temporarily lay off around half its employees due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. 

Travel restrictions and falling demand due to the virus are increasingly hurting the airline industry’s ability to fly.

President Donald Trump has ordered sweeping restrictions on travel from the European mainland for the next 30 days in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus.

A pioneer in transatlantic budget travel since 2013, the ban is another severe blow to Norwegian, the largest foreign airline serving the New York region and several other U.S. cities. —Reuters

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is closing starting March 13 to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. The closure affects the Met’s main location on Fifth Avenue, the Met Breuer and the Met Cloisters. The museum did not give a reopening date.

“While we don’t have any confirmed cases connected to the Museum, we believe that we must do all that we can to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community, which at this time calls for us to minimize gatherings while maintaining the cleanest environment possible,” Daniel Weiss, the Met’s president and chief executive, said in a statement to CNBC. The museum is undergoing a rigorous cleaning and will announce next steps early next week. The museum confirmed to CNBC that it has closed for two days only twice before: after 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. —Hannah Miller

The Federal Reserve stepped into financial markets for the second day in a row and the third time this week, this time dramatically ramping up asset purchases amid the turmoil created by the coronavirus.

“These changes are being made to address highly unusual disruptions in Treasury financing markets associated with the coronavirus outbreak,” the New York Fed said in an early afternoon announcement amid a washout on Wall Street that was heading toward the worst day since 1987.

Stocks were off their lows following the announcement though some of the gains were pared as the market digested the moves. —Jeff Cox

The National Hockey League is expected to suspended its 2019-2020 regular season due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, a person with knowledge of the situation told CNBC.

The person asked not to be identified as the league has not made an official announcement, which is expected later Thursday. The NHL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. —Jabari Young

The Senate will cancel its recess planned for next week as Congress tries to pass a plan to respond to the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday.

“Notwithstanding the scheduled state work period, the Senate will be in session next week,” the Kentucky Republican said in a tweet. “I am glad talks are ongoing between the Administration and Speaker Pelosi. I hope Congress can pass bipartisan legislation to continue combating the coronavirus and keep our economy strong.” —Jacob Pramuk

The pan-European Stoxx 600 had plummeted 11% by the close, with travel and leisure stocks sinking 12.8% following Trump’s announcement of a ban on European travel.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 lost 9.8%, France’s CAC 40 shed 12.3% and Germany’s DAX fell 12.2%. Italian stocks finished nearly 17% lower, which was also the worst single-day loss for the FTSE MIB. —Holly Ellyatt

Human trials testing a potential vaccine to prevent COVID-19 could begin “within a few weeks” with a vaccine ready for public use within the next 12 to 18 months, a top U.S. health official said.

“We said … that it would take two to three months to have it in the first human,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told the House Oversight and Reform Committee at a hearing on the nation’s preparedness for the outbreak.

“I think we’re going to do better than that,” he said. “I would hope within a few weeks we may be able to make an announcement to you all that we’ve given the first shot to the first person.”

The National Institutes of Health has been working with biotech company Moderna to develop a vaccine using the current strain of the coronavirus. —Berkeley Lovelace, Noah Higgins-Dunn

A Brazilian official who met and dined with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend has tested positive for coronavirus, according to media reports Thursday — but Trump said he’s “not concerned.”

The official, Fabio Wajngarten, posted an Instagram image of him posing with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the White House’s coronavirus task force. 

“I did hear something about that,” Trump told reporters Thursday, when asked about the matter. “We had dinner together in Florida at Mar-a-Lago with the entire delegation. I don’t know, if the press [said he was there, then] he was there.” —Mike Calia, Kevin Breuninger

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced Thursday that The Players Tournament in Ponte Verda, Florida and all tournaments in the near future will go on as planned, but without spectators due to the spread of the coronavirus. The policy goes into effect Friday.

The commissioner said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis earlier Thursday and is in constant communication with local health officials.

“It goes without saying that this is an incredibly fluid and dynamic situation,” Monahan said. “We have been and are committed to being responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process.” —Jessica Golden

Major League Soccer suspended match play for 30 days effective immediately Thursday, making it the latest professional sports league to take dramatic measures to address concern about the fast-spreading novel coronavirus. 

MLS said it will provide updates on plans for the resumption of the 2020 season at the appropriate time, after examining the impact of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, with its medical task force and public health officials.

“Our clubs were united today in the decision to temporarily suspend our season — based on the advice and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Agency Canada, and other public health authorities, and in the best interest of our fans, players, officials and employees,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. —Spencer Kimball

President Donald Trump markets will be “just fine” as stocks sold off in yet another dramatic session fueled by worries over the coronavirus pandemic and the administration’s response to it.

While Trump, who was meeting with Irish leader Leo Varadkar, attempted to reassure the country that markets would recover from the impact of the virus, lawmakers on Capitol Hill signaled that a partisan fight was coming over a new emergency aid package. The Democrats’ latest bill, unveiled to the public Wednesday night, is “unworkable” in its current form, said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. —Mike Calia, Kevin Breuninger

American Airlines said it was capping fares on several U.S.-bound routes from Europe as travelers race to get home due to President Donald Trump’s new travel ban aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus.

Other airlines are likely to follow suit, based on similar actions in previous crises.

“We are placing caps on our fares for all cabins on flights from Europe to the U.S. that are affected by the government-imposed travel restrictions,” said American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein. The spike in demand has limited the number of seats available, however. —Leslie Josephs

Goldman Sachs said that a gym worker employed by a vendor at its New Jersey office is suspected to have caught the coronavirus.

The bank said that the worker, an employee of a company called Optum, fell ill on Saturday, March 7, and has been quarantined since then, Goldman said in a staff email sent Wednesday.

Goldman said it is shuttering the gym at its Jersey City office “until further notice.” —Hugh Son

Target will offer “quarantine pay” and “confirmed illness pay” to employees who become sick with the coronavirus or have to be isolated because of exposure to it.

The Minneapolis-based national retailer said it will provide 14 days of pay to workers who are placed under mandatory quarantine and up to 14 days of pay to those who test positive for COVID-19.

Target will waive its absenteeism policy at its offices and its more than 1,800 stores because of employees who may have to stay home with potential symptoms or may be affected by school or day-care closures. With the announcement, Target joins a growing number of retailers that are changing their policies or adding special benefits for workers. —Melissa Repko

The U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee is continuing its hearing on the country’s preparedness and response to the coronavirus outbreak that has swept across the nation.

Speakers include NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, Terry Rauch, and CDC Director Robert Redfield.

The hearing first began on Wednesday before it was cut short when President Donald Trump summoned the officials to an emergency meeting at the White House. –Noah Higgins-Dunn

Shares of Uber fell to fresh lows as investors continued to grapple with the rapid spread of COVID-19.

The stock dropped 12.35% to $23, falling below its previous intraday low of $25.58 on Nov. 6. The intraday low came amid a broader market sell-off after a speech from President Donald Trump failed to ease concerns over a possible economic slowdown.

Uber warned last week in an annual financial filing that “a pandemic or an outbreak of disease or similar public health concern, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak, or fear of such an event” could post a material risk to its business. —Jessica Bursztynsky

Congress will bar public access to the U.S. Capitol for the rest of the month, and the White House will temporarily cancel tours as officials try to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Capitol tours will stop, while access to the building along with House and Senate office facilities will be limited to members, staff, press and business visitors starting Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms Paul Irving and Michael Stenger said in a statement.

White House spokesman Judd Deere told NBC News the administration will stop tours of the president’s residence “until further notice.” —Jacob Pramuk

The coronavirus outbreak spurring the National Basketball Association to suspend the pro basketball season indefinitely could mean bad news on top of already bad news for sporting goods companies like Nike.

“COVID-19 is impacting Nike’s business inside and outside of China more than we initially anticipated,” Susquhanna analyst Sam Poser said in a note to clients Thursday morning. “On top of which, the cancellation of the NBA season until further notice, announced last night, does little to assuage near term nerves.” Susquehanna lowered its price target on Nike shares to $100 from $115.

The stock was recently falling almost 12%, amid a broader market selloff. Shares were hovering around $73.90. Nike’s stock is down about 1.7% over the past 12 months.

Under Armour, meantime, in February said it anticipated the outbreak in China to lower sales by roughly $50 million to $60 million during its fiscal first quarter. That was, notably, before the virus started to hit Europe and North America much harder.

Under Armour shares were down about 10% Thursday morning, hovering around $10.25. It has a market cap of $4.7 billion, compared with Nike’s $117.7 billion. —Lauren Thomas

Shopify is offering workers a $1,000 stipend to purchase any necessary office supplies and ease the transition to remote work. The announcement came as Shopify told its employees to work from home starting March 16, in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

Several tech companies including Twitter, Google, and Amazon have told employees to work remotely this month.

Shopify, which makes online tools for companies to sell products online, employs 5,000 people worldwide, with the majority of its employees based in Canada. —Annie Palmer

Amid all the fears, quarantines and stockpiling of food, it has been easy to ignore the fact that more than 60,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus spreading around the globe.

The disease can cause varying degrees of illness and is especially troublesome for older adults and people with existing health problems, who are at risk of severe effects, including pneumonia. But for most of those affected, coronavirus creates only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, with the vast majority recovering from the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe ailments may take three to six weeks to rebound. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed, but more than 58,000 already have recovered.

Because the difference in impact can be so great, global health authorities have the difficult task of alerting the public to the virus’ dangers without creating panic. —Associated Press

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson warned customers that some cafes may offer limited seating or only receive orders via mobile or drive-thru due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Locations in the U.S. and Canada are preparing to modify operations if needed.

“This means that as we navigate this dynamic situation community-by-community and store-by-store, we may adapt the store experience by limiting seating to improve social distancing, enable mobile order-only scenarios for pickup via the Starbucks app or delivery via Uber Eats, or in some cases only the Drive Thru will be open,” Johnson wrote in a letter to customers on Thursday.

Johnson said that the company will close a store temporarily as a last resort. Starbucks closed a downtown Seattle location on March 5 after one of its baristas was diagnosed with the virus. The cafe reopened Monday morning. Thirteen additional employees are self-quarantined. —Amelia Lucas

CNBC’s Jim Cramer blasted the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus, arguing “this is the time for radical action.”

“They know nothing. They know nothing. We know more than they do, and that’s not acceptable either,” Cramer said, hearkening back to his famous 2007 rant about the Federal Reserve before the financial crisis.

“I want the federal government to know more than me. I knew more than they did in 2007, and I know more than they do now and it is disappointing,” he said on “Squawk on the Street.” —Kevin Stankiewicz

House Republicans made clear that they won’t support the new emergency coronavirus aid bill unveiled by Democrats last night — at least not in its current form.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrambling to take action to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which the World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a pandemic.

But they have hang-ups with the text of the Democrats’ bill because it omits several of the measures President Donald Trump had called on Congress to enact. —Kevin Breuninger

New York City has closed two Bronx schools for 24 hours due to a “self-confirmed” case of COVID-19 in a student, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The two schools are the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology and South Bronx Preparatory. The Department of Education will disinfect the buildings.

“We don’t make this decision lightly, and we know the disruption and anxiety this means for students, faculty and parents,” de Blasio said in a statement. “We are taking every precaution to keep people safe, and we will keep everyone informed as we learn more through the day.” —Will Feuer 

JPMorgan Chase on Thursday told managers to implement a plan to have employees based in offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Jersey City to start working from home in shifts beginning on Friday.

“We are asking our managers to arrange for no fewer than 25% and no greater than 50% of their team members who can effectively work from home, to begin doing so by the end of this week,” according to a memo obtained by CNBC, which was sent to staff Thursday morning. —Hugh Son

U.S. stocks fell sharply once again on Thursday after an address from President Donald Trump failed to quell concerns over the possible economic slowdown from the coronavirus.

Before the open, futures contracts tied to the major indexes fell to their so-called limit down thresholds, sliding 5%. These limit down levels act as a floor for selling until regular trading begins. During the regular session, the S&P 500 must drop by 7% before triggering the New York Stock Exchange’s circuit breaker, which halts trading temporarily. —Fred Imbert

Carnival’s Princess Cruises announced Thursday it is suspending all operations for two months due to concerns over the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement impacts the cruise line’s fleet of 18 ships and will affect voyages from March 12 to May 10.

Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz said the company is taking the “bold action” to reassure stakeholders of its commitment to the well-being of its passengers. —Will Feuer 

Spain’s death toll from the outbreak rose to 84 on Thursday from 47 on Wednesday, the health ministry said. The ministry reported the number of cases rose to 2,968 up from 2,140 on Wednesday. —Reuters 

Viking has suspended its river and ocean cruises until May 1. Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen noted in a letter to booked guests that operating as a travel company amid the COVID-19 outbreak “involves significant risks of quarantines or medical detentions.”

“As a private company with strong finances, we do not have to worry about quarterly profit expectations — and that flexibility allows us the ability to do what is best for our guests and our employees, as we have always done,” he said. 

Passengers with reservations for cruises set to embark Thursday through April 30 will receive a full refund or a voucher for a future booking at 125% the paid amount. —Sara Salinas 

All soccer matches in Spain’s top division, La Liga, have been suspended for two weeks to curb the spread of COVID-19, the league’s organizing body said. The league’s statement said the decision came after Real Madrid put its team in quarantine, and that it had notified the clubs, the Spanish soccer federation and the national sports ministry of the postponements. —Reuters

The head of the World Health Organization urged all countries on Thursday to “double down” in the fight, a day after declaring the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. “Describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up,” WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva. “The idea that countries should shift from containment to mitigation is wrong and dangerous.” He said that, while maintaining a containment strategy, all countries must “strike a fine balance between protecting health, preventing economic and social disruption, and respecting human rights,” according to remarks made available by the agency. —Reuters

The European Union condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a travel ban on 26 EU nations. “The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action,” European Council and European Commission Presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday morning.

“The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation,” the two top-ranking EU officials said, adding that “the European Union is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus.” rump’s travel ban does not apply to legal permanent residents of the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security, and in most cases, it does not apply to immediate family members of U.S. citizens. —Silvia Amaro

The U.K.’s chief medical officers said doctors in the country may need to “depart significantly from established procedures to handle the outbreak.” This might be needed “in order to care for patients in the highly challenging but time-bound circumstances of the peak of an epidemic,” the chief medical officers of the U.K.’s individual nations said in a joint letter to doctors, Reuters reported. —Holly Ellyatt

Iran reported 75 new deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to Reuters. That brings the death toll to 429. “We have identified 1,075 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, meaning that there are 10,075 infected people in the country. The death toll is 429,” Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state television. —Holly Ellyatt

The U.S. travel ban for most people planning to enter the country from 26 European countries begins Friday. The ban, announced Wednesday night by President Donald Trump, affects the so-called Schengen Area, where there are no passport checks between internal borders.

Most people who have been in these countries in the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival in the United States will not be allowed into the country. This two-week limit means those affected can’t get around the rules by changing flights in a non-European airport.

Trump’s travel ban does not apply to legal permanent residents of the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security, and in most cases, it does not apply to immediate family members of U.S. citizens. —Silvia Amaro

South Africa reported the first case of local transmission of the coronavirus on Thursday, Reuters reported. There are concerns that African health systems could be overwhelmed if local transmission accelerates, the news agency added. South Africa’s Health Ministry said a 32-year-old man contracted the virus after contact with a Chinese businessman. The country has not reported any deaths from coronavirus. —Holly Ellyatt