From California To Virginia, More States Confirm Coronavirus Cases As U.S. Total Surpasses 700
As of Tuesday morning, at least 729 people in 36 states and Washington, D.C. have tested positive for coronavirus.
The Associated Press:
Virginia Tracing Contacts For 5 Cases Of Coronavirus
Two new cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Virginia, bringing the cases to five, state health officials said Monday. One case is a household contact of a case previously identified in Fairfax in the northern region of the state. The other case is a resident of Spotsylvania County in the northwest region of the state, the Virginia Department of Health said in a news release late Monday. The two cases are not related. (3/9)
The Baltimore Sun:
Prince George’s County Resident Tests Positive For The Coronavirus, Bringing Maryland’s Total To Six
A person in Prince George’s County tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the state’s total to six people who have contracted the novel virus, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday night. The Prince George’s County resident contracted the virus during an out-of-state trip, the governor’s office said. Officials said that, according to an initial investigation by the Maryland Department of Health, there are no major concerns for exposure risk to the community and that there is no connection to the five other positive cases. (Oxenden, 3/9)
The Washington Post:
D.C.-Area Coronavirus Cases Spike; Hundreds Of Churchgoers Told To Quarantine
Authorities in the Washington area took different approaches Monday as they scrambled to stop the spread of coronavirus: D.C. officials asked hundreds of churchgoers to self-quarantine, while officials in Maryland and Virginia said cases of the virus within their borders did not require such measures. (Nirappil and Tan, 3/9)
The Washington Post:
The Georgetown Church Quarantined By D.C.'s Coronavirus Outbreak
Christ Church, Georgetown is usually known for things like sponsoring the posh neighborhood’s garden tour and being co-founded 203 years ago by Francis Scott Key, who wrote “the Star Spangled Banner.” In an area flush with prominent residents and history, the 800-family Episcopal Church has both. (Boorstein, 3/9)
The Baltimore Sun:
18 Maryland Residents Exposed To Coronavirus On Cruise Ships; State Urges People Over Age 60 To Avoid Large Crowds
Eighteen more Marylanders are being monitored for the novel coronavirus after being exposed to it on cruise ships, including one that toured the Nile River and another that docked Monday in California after being held off the coast. And as health officials accepted that the virus may have spread beyond containment, Gov. Larry Hogan urged residents over age 60 to avoid large crowds. (Dance and Cohn, 3/9)
The Baltimore Sun:
Towson University Asks 9 Students, One Staff Member To Self-Quarantine After Potential Coronavirus Exposure
Towson University is asking nine students and one staff member who attended a conference in Washington, D.C., to self-quarantine at home because of coronavirus concerns. The university also asked these people to stay away from campus for two weeks from their last date of attendance to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, held March 1-3. There have been at least two reports of COVID-19 cases from that conference. (Boteler, 3/9)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County, Now With 19 Coronavirus Cases, Has First From Community Spread. Long Beach Has First Cases.
Los Angeles County announced its first coronavirus case of community spread, with the total number of cases rising by five to 19. L.A. County Public Health Department Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said one of the two new cases in her agency’s jurisdiction is that of a person who had a known travel history to Japan. The source of exposure of the second person is unknown. Separately, Long Beach, which has its own health department, reported its first cases of coronavirus-infected patients — two men and one woman. (Shalby, 3/9)
Los Angeles Times:
To Fight Coronavirus, L.A. Restaurant Chain Takes Temperatures Before Letting Patrons Dine
Amid the continuing coronavirus outbreak, one restaurant is giving a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Check, please.” Since late January, Sichuan Impression has used infrared thermometers — which can take a person’s temperature without touching them — to screen patrons at its three locations in Alhambra, Tustin and West Los Angeles. (Money, 3/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
‘I’m Scared’: Homeless People And Health Workers Brace For Coronavirus To Hit Encampments
State, county and city officials throughout the Bay Area say they are scrambling to put together a reaction plan if the dreaded COVID-19 virus snakes its way into the homeless population, but those sleeping in tents, RVs and shelters say they’re worried about the toll an outbreak could take. There hasn’t been a homeless case of COVID-19 reported yet — but most officials agree it is probably just a matter of time. (Fagan and Fracassa, 3/9)
Los Angeles Times:
San Diego County Reports Its First Case Of Coronavirus, Health Officials Announce
Health officials this evening announced the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in San Diego County. Officials said a woman in her 50s who had traveled overseas was hospitalized and remains in isolation with serious symptoms. The county is working to trace who the woman came into contact with before being hospitalized. (3/9)
The Washington Post:
Missouri Father Ignores Coronavirus Quarantine Directive And Takes Daughter To School Dance
When a St. Louis-area woman called her county’s coronavirus hotline Thursday to report she was experiencing symptoms, health officials said she and her whole family should self-quarantine at home. Her father took his other daughter to a school gala two days later. (Iati, 3/9)
NBC News:
Father Of Coronavirus Patient Broke Quarantine And Took Other Daughter To Dance
The voluntary quarantine system that states are using to combat the spread of the new coronavirus in communities can work only if people follow it. So how can health officials be sure that people who agree to self-quarantine are at home? The weaknesses in the system became apparent over the weekend in Missouri when a man broke quarantine and took one of his daughters to a dance. (Siemaszko, 3/9)
ABC News:
School Canceled, Health Officials Issue Stern Warning To Missouri Family That Broke Coronavirus Quarantine
A family in Missouri broke health officials' self-quarantine instructions after two family members left their home despite a positive test for the novel coronavirus. St. Louis County executive Dr. Sam Page revealed in a press conference that the family of an unidentified patient who recently tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 violated the county Health Department's instructions to isolate themselves at home. (3/9)
CNN:
Louisiana Coronavirus: First Presumptive Positive Case Of Coronavirus Reported
The Louisiana Department of Health has reported the state's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus, according to a statement from Gov. John Bel Edwards' office. The Jefferson Parish resident has been hospitalized in Orleans Parish. "While today is the first time that we can confirm that we have a presumptive positive coronavirus case, Louisiana has been preparing for this moment for many weeks," Edwards said. (Moshtaghian, 3/9)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Mayor, City Officials Urge Calm After First 'Presumptive' Coronavirus Case In New Orleans
New Orleans officials urged residents to remain calm as a Jefferson Parish resident being treated at a hospital in Orleans Parish became the first "presumptive" case of the new coronavirus in Louisiana. Mayor LaToya Cantrell and other city officials said at a press conference Monday afternoon that the person had not traveled recently overseas. (Williams, 3/9)
Boston Globe:
As Other States Declare Emergencies Over Coronavirus, Baker Was On Vacation
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker cut short his family’s Utah ski vacation and flew home Monday night as the fallout from coronavirus deepened, raising questions about Baker’s handling of what has become a global crisis. Since Baker left Massachusetts Friday, the total confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts quintupled to 41, and a growing number of states have declared public health emergencies, including Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New York. (Ryan and Stout, 3/9)
Boston Globe:
R.I. Governor Raimondo Declares A State Of Emergency Over Coronavirus
Governor Gina M. Raimondo on Monday declared a state of emergency in Rhode Island as the state tries to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus. Declaring a state of emergency gives the governor and state officials more leeway in dealing with the outbreak. For example, they can cut red tape to quickly buy necessary supplies or hire workers to help local health officials. And the governor could deploy the National Guard to help with the state’s response, if needed. (Fitzpatrick, 3/9)
North Carolina Health News:
NC Community Centers Prepare For COVID-19
As the state contends with its second coronavirus case, this one in Chatham County, North Carolina’s community health centers are stepping up their outreach to some of the most vulnerable members of every community: the uninsured and medically fragile. By recent count, more than a million North Carolinians lacked health insurance. About a quarter of them — or just over 245,000 uninsured people — were seen at a community health center in 2018, according to the North Carolina Community Health Center Association. (Engel-Smith, 3/9)
PBS NewsHour:
Amid Virus Outbreak, U.S. Communities Brace For Disruption
As U.S. cases of COVID-19 rise, officials are stepping up efforts to control the outbreak's spread. Communities across the country are bracing for disruption, with many schools closing or holding remote classes. Also, two GOP congressmen who were with President Trump recently are self-quarantining after a conference attendee with whom they met tested positive for the virus. (Nawaz, 3/9)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Confirmed And Presumptive Cases Of Virus In Georgia Increase To 17
The number of Georgians infected by the disease caused by coronavirus is quickly rising, with six confirmed diagnoses now and at least another 11 that are “presumptive positive,” according to the Department of Public Health. The cases of COVID-19 are mostly centered in metro Atlanta, with patients in Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Two other cases were reported in Floyd and Polk counties. (Redmon, Bluestein and Oliviero, 3/9)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Coronavirus Wisconsin: Nursing Homes Work To Prevent Spread Of Disease
Early data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests older people are twice as likely to attract coronavirus, putting senior care centers around Wisconsin on guard about the possible spread of the disease. "It is far more than business as usual," said John Sauer, the president and chief executive officer of LeadingAge Wisconsin, an advocacy group for senior care centers in the state. The Centers for Disease Control said infections kill 380,000 people in long-term care facilities every year. Now, they're facing a disease that spreads "easily and sustainably." (Steppe, 3/9)
Indianapolis Star:
Coronavirus In Indiana: Total Number Of Cases In The State Is Now 4
A person who has tested positive for the coronavirus disease is hospitalized in intensive care in a northeastern Indiana hospital.The adult, who had a recent history of out-of-state travel, is at Parkview Noble Hospital in Kendallville, about 45 minutes north of Fort Wayne, health officials said. Test samples, which came back positive from the Indiana State Department of Health laboratory, will be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Rudavsky, 3/9)
