This is CNBC’s 24-hour blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This live blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
- Global cases: More than 679,000
- Global deaths: At least 31,000
- United States cases: At least 124,600
- United States deaths: At least 2,100
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
10:06 am: New York City medical supplies are running low, de Blasio warns
An NYPD police officer is seen wearing a protective face mask as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States on March 27, 2020 in New York City.
Noam Galai | Getty Images
New York City must brace for “a long crisis” Mayor Bill DeBlasio warned Sunday.
He said that except for ventilators, the city has enough medical supplies to get through the next week, de Blasio told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
“It feels like a wartime environment,” de Blasio said, referring to discussions with ER doctors. He compared the situation with the 1918 flu epidemic and the Great Depression.
The mayor said Thursday that New York City has 20,000 hospital beds, but will need three times that amount by May.
When asked about his comments two weeks ago encouraging New Yorkers to continue their normal lives, de Blasio said, “We shouldn’t be focusing, in my view, on looking back.” –Cory Stieg
9:53 am: Trump’s delay on dealing with coronavirus led to increased deaths, Pelosi charges
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Donald Trump’s behavior at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, calling it “deadly,” and saying his current delays in testing is costing lives.
“As the president fiddles, people are dying,” Pelosi told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
Pelosi quoted Trump as saying, “Just think, 20 days ago everything was great.”
“No,” Pelosi said. “Everything wasn’t great.” –Cory Stieg
9:42 am: Fauci warns against nonessential travel for New York region
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images
White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci is telling people in hot spots such as New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut to forgo nonessential travel for the time being, elaborating on the reason for the CDC’s travel advisory for the region.
“Just hold off,” Fauci told CNN’s State of the Union. “What you don’t want is people traveling from that area to other areas of the country and inadvertently and innocently infecting other people.”
Fauci’s warning comes after President Donald Trump backed off the idea of imposing an “enforceable” quarantine on the region. Fauci said he and other experts made it clear to Trump that a strong travel advisory would be better than a quarantine.
“You don’t want to get a point where you’re enforcing things that would create a bigger difficulty, morale and otherwise, when you could probably accomplish the same goal,” Fauci said.
The infection rate in the New York City area now represents 56% of all new infections in the country, Fauci said. The U.S. could see up to 200,000 deaths and millions of infections, Fauci added, though he cautioned that nobody knows for certain. —Spencer Kimball
9:34 am: 2020 Detroit auto show canceled after venue chosen for field hospital
The 2020 Detroit auto show has been canceled as its venue will be used as a field hospital for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
The event is the third large-scale auto show to be canceled or postponed due to COVID-19. The Geneva auto show was canceled last month, followed by a postponement of the New York International Auto Show, which was scheduled to begin next month, to late-August. —Michael Wayland
9:29 am: States quickly ramping up testing
9:21 am: UK coronavirus death toll rises to 1,228 people
The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose to 1,228, according to figures released on Sunday, an increase of 209.
The previous increase saw the death toll rise by 260 people. —Reuters
9:15 am: Chanel switches workshops to making face masks as coronavirus spreads
Empty Champs Elysees avenue is pictured on March 28, 2020 in Paris, France. The country has introduced fines for people caught violating its nationwide lockdown measures intended to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Pascal Le Segretain | Getty Images
Luxury fashion group Chanel said it would launch the production of face masks to help bolster supplies in France, as the coronavirus sweeps across the country.
Prototypes were being worked on and would roll off production lines once they received the approval of French authorities.
On Saturday, Health Minister Olivier Veran said the government had ordered more than a billion face masks, mostly from China, to be supplied in the weeks and months ahead.
France was using 40 million face masks per week, he said. Doctors, nursing home carers and police have complained of shortages. —Reuters
9:02 am: Iran’s president lashes out at criticism of country’s lagging response
Iran president Hassan Rouhani lashed out at criticism of the country’s lagging response to the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, saying the government has to weigh economic concerns as it takes measures to contain the pandemic.
Rouhani said authorities had to consider the effect of mass quarantine efforts on Iran’s beleaguered economy, which is under heavy U.S. sanctions. It’s a dilemma playing out across the globe, as leaders struggle to strike a balance between restricting human contact and keeping their economies from crashing.
Iran has 38,309 COVID-19 cases and 2,640 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
“Health is a principle for us, but the production and security of society is also a principle for us,” Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting. “We must put these principles together to reach a final decision.”
“This is not the time to gather followers,” he added. “This is not a time for political war.” —Associated Press
8:51 am: Relief Therapeutics, NeuroRx get FDA nod to start coronavirus trial
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has authorized the start of a mid-stage trial by U.S.-Israeli NeuroRx and Relief Therapeutics for the use of Aviptadil to treat Acute Respiratory Distress in coronavirus patients.
The companies said they are recruiting study sites and pharmacies to begin a phase 2 trial. The FDA issued a “study may proceed” letter 24 hours after their investigational new drug application.
Aviptadil is a patented form of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide that has previously shown promise in treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), the companies said.
Coronavirus death is primarily caused by ARDS, in which severe inflammation causes the lungs to fill with fluid. —Reuters
8:35 am: New Jersey governor responds to CDC travel advisory for tri-state area
A view of the empty parking lot as the Westfield Garden State Plaza along with all New Jersey malls, is closed on March 18, 2020 in Paramus, New Jersey. New Jersey governor Phil Murphy ordered all New Jersey malls to close as of 8 P.M. last night amid concerns of the COVID-19 virus.
Elsa | Getty Images
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the CDC travel advisory issued Saturday for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut “does not change the rules that have been established and in place for over a week now.”
Essential “frontline” employees such as those who work in health care and supermarkets are still permitted to get to and from their jobs.
The CDC advised residents of the tri-state area to stop nonessential domestic travel for 14 days in response to the coronavirus outbreak that has hit the New York City area particularly hard. There are more than 30,000 cases in New York City alone, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
“I encourage all New Jerseyans to continue practicing aggressive social distancing and take personal responsibility to help us get through this public health emergency,” Murphy said in a statement. —Chris Eudaily
