People wearing masks visit a market amid the coronavirus outbreak on March 8, 2020 in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China.
Liu Ranyang | China News Service | Getty Images
This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.
- Global cases: At least 106,893, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization
- Global deaths: At least 3,639, according to the latest figures from the WHO
All times below are in Beijing time.
1:00 pm: South Korea’s prime minister is hopeful that ‘turning point’ is near
With authorities saying that the number of new infections in the country is dwindling, South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed hope that the worst could be over soon, according to a Reuters report.
“I’m still extremely cautious, but there’s hope we can reach a turning point in the near future,” he said, according to the report.
But the country’s Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said it was premature to say the crisis was over, with new cases continuing to emerge from smaller clusters — although they’re spreading less rapidly, the report said. — Weizhen Tan
12:50 pm: Delivery of packages mostly resumes in China
Almost the entire package delivery network in China — outside of the epicenter of Hubei — has resumed work, Alibaba’s logistics affiliate Cainiao and other major courier companies said in a statement Monday to CNBC.
Daily delivery volume from March 5 to 8 has surpassed that of the same period last year, and as of Sunday, nearly three million couriers had resumed work, the statement said. Cainiao added that data from Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Taobao shows it is handling more than 100 million packages right now.
While consumer-related delivery in China has showed rapid recovery, a Chinese official noted last week that the resumption of work for production-related logistics is relatively “weaker.” — Cheng
12:15 pm: Cases in India jump to 34
Cases in India jumped from just six last week, to 34 as of March 8, according to the latest data on India’s ministry of health website.
Amid the spike in cases, India’s government said it has screened more than a million travelers, strengthened its testing capabilities, and set up isolation wards in major cities with international airports, according to Reuters. — Weizhen Tan
11:20 am: Shanghai Disneyland to remain shut, while resort reopens by phases
Shanghai Disneyland will keep the theme park temporarily closed as it continues to “closely monitor health and safety conditions and follow the direction of government regulators,” the company said in a statement.
But as part of a phased reopening, Shanghai Disney Resort will partially resume operations on Mar. 9, 2020, it said. There will be a limited number of shopping, dining, and recreational experiences at Disneytown, Wishing Star Park and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel — and each of those resort locations will reduce their hours of operation and function under limited capacity. — Joanna Tan
11:01 am: Nebraska reports two ‘presumptive positive’ cases
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services confirmed two more “presumptive positive” cases of the new coronavirus. The new cases are family members of first person who was identified in the state. Presumptive cases are those who have tested positive in the state, but have yet to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Officials haven’t detected COVID-19 spreading in Nebraska communities at this time,” the department said in a statement. — Joanna Tan
10:17 am: Wuhan shuts down 11 makeshift hospitals
Following the discharge of most patients, 11 of the 14 makeshift hospitals in Wuhan that were built for treatment of the new coronavirus have closed, state broadcaster CCTV said Sunday evening. Remaining patients are gradually being sent to designated hospitals, and there are only about 100 people left in the remaining 3 makeshift hospitals, the report said.
Wuhan city, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, began opening the makeshift or “cabin” hospitals on Feb. 5 and the repurposed venues have treated more than 12,000 people with mild cases of the virus, according to CCTV. Last week, other Chinese media reports noted that at least one such hospital warned of an increasing number of relapses among discharged patients. — Cheng
9:25 am: South Korea reports 248 new cases, 1 additional death
South Korea confirmed 248 more cases on Monday morning, and one more death. That brings its total to 7,382 cases, and 51 deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Weizhen Tan
9:05 am: Japan GDP shrinks faster than expected
Japan’s economy slowed an annualized 7.1% in the October-December quarter, worse than a Reuters forecast of a 6.6% contraction and the biggest fall since 2014, according to Reuters. The virus outbreak has hit production in the country, disrupting supply chains and damaging tourism.
The worse-than-expected decline has led to fears that Japan could see growth contract for two straight quarters, which is defined as a technical recession. — Weizhen Tan
8:14 am: China reports 40 new cases and 22 more deaths
China reported 40 new confirmed cases and 22 additional deaths as of Mar. 8. Of the new cases, 36 came from Hubei, the epicenter of the coronavirus, while 21 out of 22 deaths in the mainland were from Hubei, the National Health Commission reported.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the mainland to 80,735 and the cumulative death toll to 3,119. — Joanna Tan
7:45 am: Senator Ted Cruz to self-quarantine after interacting with CPAC attendee who tested positive
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said he will quarantine himself this week until a full 14 days have passed since the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he briefly interacted with an attendee who tested positive for the coronavirus. “That interaction consisted of a brief conversation and a handshake,” he said in a statement on Twitter.
He said that interaction did not meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for self-quarantine, but that he would do so “out of an abundance of caution.” — Joanna Tan
All times below are in Eastern time.
5:26 pm: US cases now top 500, at least 21 deaths
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. now stands at 511, according to data compiled by NBC News, and there are at least 21 deaths attributable to the virus.
Washington state is the worst hit, with at least 116 confirmed cases and 18 fatalities. New York has identified 106 cases and California has confirmed 102 people who have tested positive.
Oregon joined a growing number states to declare emergencies to contain the virus after the state’s confirmed cases doubled to 14. New York declared a state of emergency on Saturday.
California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Utah and Washington have also declared emergencies. Pennsylvania has issued a disaster declaration and the city of Austin, Texas has issued a local disaster declaration. — Kimball
Read CNBC’s coverage from the U.S. overnight: US coronavirus cases top 500 as Oregon joins list of states declaring emergencies
— CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng and Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.
