Americans are racing to cut vacations short and re-book flights home this weekend as Europe continues to lock down towns and cities amid the spread of coronavirus.
The CDC said Sunday that all events of 50 people or more should be canceled for the next eight weeks, guidance that advocates for people to engage in “social distancing” through early May.
Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.
New York City announced it would close public schools, and many cities around the country ordered bars and restaurants closed, with some even issuing curfews, to encourage social distancing. Meantime, brick-and-mortar retailers began shutting down stores.
Stock futures plunged Sunday night, despite unprecedented emergency action from the Federal Reserve, which announced a rate cut.
The United States has surpassed 3,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and the death toll climbed to at least 61, with 25 of the deaths associated with the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington.
Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
Download the NBC News app for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak.
Peace Corps suspends global operations
L.A. mayor on restaurants, bars and gyms
Washington governor orders restaurants takeout, delivery only
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday that he will temporarily limit restaurants to take-out and delivery services and close entertainment venues and recreational facilities across the state.
The emergency proclamation, which aims to stem the spread of coronavirus, will go into effect Monday, he said.
Inslee also prohibited gatherings with more than 50 people unless they’ve met social distancing and public health guidelines.
“These are very difficult decisions, but hours count here and very strong measures are necessary to slow the spread of the disease,” Inslee said. “I know there will be significant economic impacts to all our communities and we are looking at steps to help address those challenges.”
NYC mayor Bill de Blasio to close theaters, limit restaurants to takeout
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday ordered the temporary closing of movie theaters, nightclubs and concert venues.
In an executive order that will go into effect on Tuesday morning, de Blasio also said restaurants, bars and cafes will be limited to takeout orders and deliveries.
“The virus can spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars and places where we sit close together,” de Blasio said. “We have to break that cycle.”
United Airlines cuts capacity by 50 percent through May
United Airlines announced Sunday it will be cutting its capacity in half for April and May as Americans cut back on travel amid efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
In a message to United employees, Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer, and J. Scott Kirby, president, said the company projects the cuts could be extended.
“We also now expect these deep cuts to extend into the summer travel period,” Munoz and Kirby wrote. “Even with those cuts, we’re expecting load factors to drop into the 20-30% range — and that’s if things don’t get worse.”
The company said its leaders would be taking a 50 percent pay cut.
“We’re also currently projecting that revenue in March will be $1.5 billion lower than last March,” Munoz and Kirby wrote.
Deaths continue to rise in Italy, Spain
The number of coronavirus-related deaths continued to rise Sunday in Europe’s hardest hit two countries, Italy and Spain.
Italy’s death toll rose to 1,809, a jump of 368 people in one day, Italy’s civil protection chief, Angelo Borrelli, said. The number of cases of across the country also continued to spike, with another 3,590 people testing positive for the disease.
Nearly 25,000 Italians have contracted COVID-19.
Spain, which declared a state of emergency Friday, reported Sunday that the number of deaths rose to 292, up from 84 on Thursday, the country’s health minister, Salvador Illa, said. The number of cases more than doubled, from nearly 3,000 to almost 8,000.
MGM Resorts to close all Las Vegas properties
MGM Resorts will close all of its Las Vegas properties, the hotel chain announced on Sunday.
The company, which owns many major Las Vegas hotels including Aria, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, New York-New York and The Mirage, said that starting on Tuesday it will “temporarily suspend operations at its Las Vegas properties until further notice.”
Casinos on those properties will close on Monday, the company said.
More than 3,000 confirmed cases reported in the United States
As of March 15 there have been more than 3,000 coronavirus cases confirmed in the United States, driven by more than 200 new cases in New York. At least 800 new cases have been confirmed in the last 24 hours.
See a map of the cases per U.S. state here, and see the day-by-day breakdown of new cases in the U.S. and the world here.
