Coronavirus Outbreak Live Updates

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has declared a month-long state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and unveiled a record stimulus package aimed at steering the world’s third-largest economy through its biggest crisis since the war.

Here's the opinion: https://t.co/AKIgCMpUTZ https://t.co/5K5IJQxbeQ

— Amy Howe (@AHoweBlogger) April 6, 2020

According to The Guardian, Boris Johnson has spent the night in intensive care after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, with overall charge of the government handed to Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary.

At least 53,160 people have been confirmed dead around the world, and 211,775 have recovered.

No days off. Thanks to some serious teamwork, Massachusetts is set to receive over 1 million N95 masks for our front-line workers. Huge thanks to the Krafts and several dedicated partners for making this happen. pic.twitter.com/ieV6XMC5Ow

— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) April 2, 2020

New U.S. jobless claims for the week ending March 27 totaled a whopping 6.648 million versus a 3.5-million estimate, according to numbers reported Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The initial jobless claims in the week ending March 20 reached 3.283 million.

Russia is considering a state of emergency declaration over the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters, which would allow the government to be tougher on enforcement. Reuters also reported that Putin’s government launched an app to track people who are supposed to be in quarantine.

Governor Ron DeSantis changed his mind after weeks of keeping businesses and beaches open amid a growing pandemic.

pic.twitter.com/e9Ym9jeT2R

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 31, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx said on “TODAY” that she is “very worried” about cities in the U.S. and projects 100,000 to 200,000 deaths as a best case scenario.

According to Reuters the company said it would retain just enough staff to maintain the basic needs of the stores as all are temporarily shutting down due to the outbreak.

Breaking: Maryland Gov. @LarryHogan has issued a "stay-at-home" order effective 8pm tonight.

— Ari Natter (@AriNatter) March 30, 2020

The $2-trillion coronavirus relief bill signed into law by President Donald Trump deserves credit for offering a helping hand to small businesses and individuals, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said Friday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” 

According to CNN, the Justice Department is looking into the timing of several stock transactions from several lawmakers, including Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein.

Tesla Inc. is planning to reopen its gigafactory in New York to produce ventilators for people who fall critically ill from the novel coronavirus.

Amazon.com workers at the company’s Staten Island warehouse are planning a mass walkout on Monday to protest against what they call a lack of protection provided during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. stock futures opened for trading Sunday evening, pointing to a lower open on Monday morning. Shortly after the futures market’s 6 p.m. ET open, the S&P 500 was down about 1.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2.2%.

Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus.

I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus.

Together we will beat this. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/9Te6aFP0Ri

— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) March 27, 2020

President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized governors of Washington and Michigan for what he said were unhelpful responses to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

International Monetary Fund and World Bank have asked governments to put a hold on debt payments from the world’s poorest nations supporting their battle against COVID-19.

The U.S. coronavirus outbreak has spread to at least ten Amazon warehouses, infecting workers racing to deliver massive volumes of packages for consumers leery of leaving their homes to shop.

Thousands of 15-minute home tests for coronavirus will be delivered by Amazon to people self-isolating with symptoms or will go on sale on the high street within days, according to Public Health England (PHE), in a move that could restore many people’s lives to a semblance of pre-lockdown normality.

Britain’s Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday. In a statement Clarence House announced Prince Charles has tested positive for novel coronavirus. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has also been tested but does not have the virus. The couple are now self-isolating. It’s reported his last public engagement was on March 12.

Videos on YouTube will now default to standard definition for all users worldwide, a step down from the typical high definition that users normally see. The move is aimed at easing the burden on internet infrastructure as lockdowns and other emergency policies have kept millions at home.

Thousands of students are stranded in universities across the U.K. as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, prompting calls for support from vice-chancellors. Among them are international students from all over the world who have been unable to get flights home, and UK students who are stuck because they have no other home to go to, either because they are care leavers or are estranged from their families.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will have to wait. According to USA Today, the Summer Games have become the latest major sporting event to be postponed/canceled as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak. International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA Today that the games will likely be pushed to 2021, and that a plan will be put in place on how to proceed in the next four weeks.

On Monday, Airbus announced a €15 billion credit facility to strengthen its liquidity access amid the pandemic’s impact on the global aerospace industry. To protect the future of the company, the aircraft manufacturer added that it would pull out its 2019 dividend proposal with a total cash value of almost €1.4 billion.

“I want America to understand — this week, it’s going to get bad,” US Surgeon General Jerome Adams told NBC’s “Today” show Monday. “We really, really need everyone to stay at home. I think that there are a lot of people who are doing the right things, but … we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.”

The hunt for masks, ventilators and other medical supplies consumed the U.S. and Europe, as more than 1.5 billion people — one-fifth of the world’s population — were asked or ordered to stay home on Monday to try to blunt the spread of the coronavirus. Political paralysis stalled efforts for a quick aid package from Congress, and U.S. stocks fell at the opening bell even after the Federal Reserve said it will buy as much government debt as necessary and lend to small and large businesses and local governments to help them cope with the economic damage from the outbreak.

According to the data from Germany’s influential Information and Forschung research, the outburst of coronavirus could cost the economy from €255 to €729 billion in the year 2020.

The parent company of Primark announced that it would be closing all of its stores across the world, which would lead to a monthly loss of around $760 million worth of net sales. It added that it would stop placing new orders with suppliers. The company estimates that it will be able to recover around 50% of total operating costs.

Norway’s foreign ministry announced on Monday that the United Nations would be creating a fund to support the treatment of coronavirus patients worldwide. The Fund will support developing countries with weak health systems and also handle the long-term consequences.

The South Korea auto industry, which employs almost 12% of the country’s workforce, will be supported by the government amid the outbreak of the coronavirus. It would provide logistical and financial support, speed up customs clearance, arrange freight transportation, and liquidity support.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated for the first time on Monday that he may consider postponing the Summer Olympics 2020 from its earlier scheduled date of July 24. The announcement comes amid many countries and athletes seeking for the games to be postponed.

Canada is the first country to withdraw its athletes from the Olympic and Paralympic Games scheduled for the summer of 2020. Amid the rising coronavirus fears, unless the games are postponed, the country would not send their athletes, The Canadian Olympic Committee said.

The Federal government has activated the National Guard to aid the three worst-hit states in the U.S. – New York, California, and Washington, against the COVID-19 impact, President Donald Trump announced.

Led by the deep impact of the coronavirus epidemic, a record 30.1% drop is expected in the U.S. gross domestic product in the second quarter, as estimated by Morgan Stanley economists.

Democrats had objected to the bill’s provisions, with CNBC reporting that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation had “many, many problems” and benefited corporations more than hospitals, health care workers, cities and states. 

The U.S. unemployment rate could reach 30% in the second quarter and the gross domestic product could fall by half, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said in an interview published Sunday by Bloomberg.

Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020

The test will give Americans results in hours rather than days, and Cepheid is planning to roll the test out by March 30, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

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Links: – Study: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf – Implications of study, per the UM Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/modeling-study-suggests-18-months-covid-19-social-distancing-much

A post shared by Jacob Pebley (@jacob.pebley) on Mar 19, 2020 at 1:22pm PDT

Whole Foods employee was detected positive with the coronavirus and was placed under quarantine.The store located in New York City was closed early Wednesday for additional cleaning and disinfection.

Republican senators Richard Burr, Kelly Loeffler and James Inhofe, along with democrat Dianne Feinstein, dumped stocks worth millions ahead of the financial markets plunge in the United States in February, multiple reports suggested Friday.

In order to support U.S. businesses, its employees and the American public, Senate Republicans on Thursday formally announced a $1 trillion economic stimulus plan.

California Governor has issued a statewide stay-at-home order starting Thursday evening for its 40 million residents. Similar orders have been issued in the past few days across the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. Residents are ordered to leave home only for essential activities.

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to buy up to 30 million barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) by the end of June.

Amid the already plunging stock markets led by the coronavirus outbreak, Donald Trump’s administration has ordered state labor officials to delay the release of the exact unemployment figures.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced that it would immediately donate 6 million doses of malaria med hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets through wholesalers to U.S. hospitals in order to support the medication for COVID-19. The company expects to ship these by the end of March, and it would ship more than 10 million tablets within a month’s time.

As per the White House statement, President Donald Trump has annulled the in-person G7 summit amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit, which was scheduled for June at the David Camp, will now be conducted through a video teleconference.

JUST IN: The US State Department is warning American citizens to avoid all international travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory is the department’s highest-level travel alert. https://t.co/JpUP9ETvFR

— CNN Business (@CNNBusiness) March 19, 2020

The federal government is preparing for the possibility the coronavirus pandemic could last up to 18 months or longer and “include multiple waves of illness,” a report obtained by CNN shows, as the number of the cases in the US surpassed 11,000. While the document does not say the Trump administration believes the pandemic will last that long, it indicates officials have to assume a longer timeline to ensure preparedness.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut interest rates to a record low 0.25% after slashing the rate to 0.5% earlier this month. It also announced a money-printing program for the first time in its history to combat the coronavirus-driven recession.

For the first time since the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, China reported no new cases on Wednesday and Hubei has had no new infections for almost two weeks.

Harley-Davidson Inc. said it is suspending production at its factories effective Wednesday through March 29. The move, which came in after one of its workers was infected with the coronavirus, will impact around 2,000 employees at its U.S. factories.

We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020

Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ben McAdams have become the first members of Congress to test positive for coronavirus, a grim new indicator of the virus’ aggressive spread. “On Saturday evening, Congressman Diaz-Balart developed symptoms including a fever and headache. Just a short while ago, he was notified that he has tested positive for COVID-19,” his office said in a news release. The Florida Republican said in a statement that he is “feeling much better” but urged the public to take the virus “extremely seriously.”

Trump signed a bill providing paid sick leave, free testing and other benefits. A relief package to provide sick leave, unemployment benefits, free coronavirus testing, and food and medical aid to people affected by the pandemic, was signed into law by Trump Wednesday evening after the Senate passed it by a wide margin. It was approved by the House last week.

Italy recorded 475 deaths due to the coronavirus in a single day, the highest since the outbreak. Italy is the world’s most affected country after China, with almost 3,000 deaths to date.

After two people tested positive for the coronavirus at NYSE screenings set up this week, the exchange decided that effective March 23 it will temporarily close its historic trading floor and move fully to electronic trading.

The Senate passed the House’s coronavirus aid package on Wednesday, sending it to President Trump, who is expected to sign it. 

The Big 3 Detroit car companies have agreed to temporarily shut down factories in the U.S. to protect workers against the rapidly spreading coronavirus, according to people familiar with the matter, in an unprecedented work stoppage that will affect more than 150,000 factory employees.

The White House is asking Congress for a $1 trillion coronavirus relief and economic stimulus plan that would include industry-specific bailouts and payments to individual taxpayers.

Vice President Pence said during a White House press conference Wednesday that hospitals should move to delay elective procedures, as the nation’s medical system scrambles to deal with those sickened by the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump said during Wednesday’s White House press briefing that he will be invoking the Defense Production Act to help make up for potential medical supply shortages as the U.S. battles the coronavirus pandemic.

Cannes Film Festival has been postponed until October, according to a statement by Cannes organizers. The festival, originally scheduled for June 22 through 26, said it now plans to reschedule to October 26 through 30. Conference organizers said earlier that passes, sponsorship arrangements, and bookings will roll over and remain valid.

According to the International Air Transport Association, the global airline industry needs government aid and bailout measures totaling between $150 billion and $200 billion in order to survive the coronavirus crisis.

As per Goldman Sachs Research estimates, the global GDP growth forecast for 2020 was cut to 1.25%, implying a recession worse than the one seen in 1991 and 2001. Amid the coronavirus spread, disruptions to the global economy are increasing.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a “human biosecurity emergency” and said the country’s citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic. The formal declaration gives the government the power to close off cities or regions, impose curfews, and order people to quarantine, if deemed necessary.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will ask Senate Republicans for an $850-billion stimulus package on Tuesday intended to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak, department stores Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue are closing all stores while keeping online stores open. All the stores would remain closed for two weeks unless otherwise instructed by the government or public health officials.

Finance Ministry data released on Wednesday revealed that Japan’s February exports slipped 1% year-over-year for the 15th consecutive month. This was mainly due to a decline in U.S. and China-bound shipments of cars and metal processing machinery, respectively, amid the coronavirus epidemic.

Boeing Co. on Tuesday sought for $60 billion in government loan guarantees and other assistancefor the struggling U.S. aerospace manufacturing industry, which faces huge losses from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report by Jack Myers, the coronavirus outbreak is likely to erode as much as $3 billion from the advertising and marketing budgets in 2020. Myers, who has been tracking the ad spend market since the 1980s, has tripled his forecast from the earlier estimated $1 billion.

European football’s governing body UEFA said that it would be delaying the European Championship until 2021, due to be played in June-July 2020.

The global dairy auction saw prices plunging to their lowest level in more than a year as the coronavirus outbreak disturbed buying. The average price at the overnight auction fell 3.95 to $2980 a tonne, following the 1.2% fall in the previous auction two weeks ago.

World Bank on Tuesday said that it had increased its fast-track financing for members to combat the global coronavirus epidemic by $2 billion, taking the total amount to $14 billion.

With the coronavirus outbreak leading to the shift of dates in French Open, the U.S. Open also followed suit, saying it’s open to the “possibility of moving the tournament to a later date.” Roland Garros pushed its dates ahead by almost three months.

At its annual shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday, South Korea tech giantSamsung Electronics Co Ltd said that it expects higher demand and limited supply for computer chips despite the coronavirus pandemic and the U.S.-China trade war damaging major markets in Europe and the U.S.

American Chamber of Commerce in South China survey shows 32% of firms in China’s southern manufacturing hub are facing a supply shortage, while 15% have already run out of some supplies driven by the widespread coronavirus.

Facebook suffered a massive bug in its News Feed spam filter that blocked links to legitimate websites, including Medium, Buzzfeed, and USA Today. The issue blocked shares of some but not all coronavirus-related content, while some unrelated links are allowed through, and others are not.

“Of the four, one player is exhibiting symptoms while three are asymptomatic,” the team added in a statement. “All four players are presently isolated and under the care of team physicians.”

UK confirmed #coronavirus cases rise 26% to 1,950 in past 24 hours pic.twitter.com/RfgUrXMUwD

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 17, 2020

Volkswagen confirmed on Tuesday that its European plants are preparing for a shutdown of at least two weeks, mainly led by supply-chain constraints amidst coronavirus outbreak.

France Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday that thecountry’s measures to help companies and employees fight the coronavirus storm would cost €45 billion. Also, ammunition would include €300 billion of French state guarantees for bank loans to businesses.

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer has signed a deal with Germany’s BioNTech SE to co-develop a potential vaccine for the coronavirus using BioNTech’s mRNA-based drug development platform, the companies said on Tuesday.

Amazon.com announced that it would hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the U.S. in order to handle the rising online orders. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, many consumers have turned to the web to meet their needs.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk told its employeesin an email that they don’t have to come to work if they’re sick or concerned about the coronavirus. To his knowledge, Musk said that no Tesla employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Reuters Tankan survey, Japanese business confidence plunged to decade lows in March amid the coronavirus outbreak. The sentiment index at manufacturers fell to minus 20 in March from minus 5 in the previous month, while the service-sector gauge dropped 25 points to minus 10, the poll showed. A negative figure means pessimists outnumber optimists.

In response to the wide impact of the coronavirus epidemic, the Philippines became the first country to halt its stock, bond and currency trading effective Tuesday, until further notice. The virus has infected at least 140 people in the Philippines and killed a dozen.

Amid the battle to combat the coronavirus outbreak, New Zealand has announced a $12.1 billion (representing 4% of GDP) economic rescue package. A major share of $5.1 billion will be for wage subsidies for affected businesses in all sectors and regions, effective Tuesday.

As the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the U.S., The House unanimously passed a revised coronavirus emergency bill sending it to the Senate to take it up. The Senate could take up The House’s multi-billion package as early as Tuesday.

To combat the coronavirus outbreak, the California Legislature approved up to $1 billion in new spending on Monday and further suspended work for the next month amid efforts to contain the illness.

President Trump has advised to not hold gatherings of more than 10 individuals for the next 15 days. He also said the economy might already be in a recession and that the CDC has recommended people stop visiting bars and restaurants, but he didn’t go as far as to mandate that they shut down.

This morning I tested positive for Covid 19. I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing 👊🏾👊🏾 No panic. pic.twitter.com/Lg7HVMZglZ

— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 16, 2020

MLB statement pic.twitter.com/kQ2YqEkBH1

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 16, 2020

According to Bloomberg News, people familiar with the matter called it a “campaign of disruption and disinformation.”

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday that the government would create a $4 billion anti-crisis fund to shield its economy from the coronavirus epidemic.

With retail, manufacturing sectors facing rising input costs, an outbreak of coronavirus is estimated to cost the Egyptian economy $6.4 billion in the first quarter.

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday revealed a year-over-year dip of 13.5% in China industrial output for January – February, during the coronavirus outbreak. It’s the fastest pace of decline in three decades, which reflects greater damage than the global financial crisis.

New York and Los Angeles city mayors ordered restaurants, gyms, theaters, bars and movie theaters closed in an effort to contain the epidemic. Only via delivery or take-out options would be available for selling food.

After the U.S. interest rate cut overnight, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) decided on additional easing measures at a policy board meeting on Monday amid coronavirus outbreak.

The first human trial started in Seattle, the NIAID said Monday.

The group, which is comprised of eight of the country’s largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, said they would focus on small businesses and individuals.

The Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe made a statement that “the bank stands ready to purchase Australian government bonds in the secondary market to support the smooth functioning of that market, which is a key pricing benchmark for the Australian financial system.”

In the early stages of the 2020 Democratic debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, coronavirus dominated with the White House hopefuls portraying to be better equipped to handle the crisis than President Donald Trump.

With 14 new cases of the coronavirus in Australia’s capital Victoria reported overnight, a state of emergency has been declared to contain the spread. Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and South Australia also declared a state of emergency as total cases in the continent stand at 300.

In an emergency move Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it has cut interest rates to zero to 0.25%, the first time interest rates have been that low since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Nike Inc will close its retail stores across the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand through March 27.

The White House also confirmed it is added Ireland and the U.K. to list of countries on the coronavirus travel ban.

Apple Inc. announced Saturday morning it will be closing all retail stores outside of Greater China until March 27.

President Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus. The emergency declaration will make $50 billion available for states, Trump said from the White House Rose Garden The money can be used for a variety of needs, such as paying for tests, supplies, vaccination and extra help from medical workers, he said.

#BREAKING Louisiana 1st US state to postpone Democratic primary over virus: official pic.twitter.com/hKPEo4QOEt

— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 13, 2020

Statement from Chairman Ridley:

“Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone @TheMasters, @anwagolf and @DriveChipPutt National Finals.”

Full details at https://t.co/FX2AN1MLsY pic.twitter.com/Z2DjS5TYdG

— The Masters (@TheMasters) March 13, 2020

The FDA has granted “emergency use” to use a new coronavirus test that could prove to be up to 10-times faster than current tests, as reported by Bloomberg.

Google reported that an employee from one of its South India offices, in Bengaluru, has been confirmed positive with COVID-19. Employees from the office have been requested to work from home.

China’s Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has recorded five new cases on Friday with no locally transmitted infections in the rest of the country, reported ABS-CBN News.

Italy’s Civil Protection Agency said that the country’s death toll from the coronavirus has surged 23% to 1,016 in the past 24 hours, with a total of 5,113 people infected.

The opening race of the 2020 Formula One season, Grand Prix in Melbourne scheduled for Sunday, has been canceled amid rising coronavirus fears.

Turner Sports and CBS Sports Joint Statement on Cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament: pic.twitter.com/pBpzxUs5fL

— March Madness TV (@MarchMadnessTV) March 12, 2020

“These changes are being made to address highly unusual disruptions in Treasury financing markets associated with the coronavirus outbreak,” the Fed said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

The National Hockey League said it is pausing its 2019-20 regular season due to coronavirus concerns, with 189 games remaining.

Intercontinental Exchange Inc, which owns the NYSE, adopted early precautions to preempt the spread of the coronavirus. It called off tours, blocked visitors and cancelled the traditional executive bell-ringing.

Dr Robert Redfield, head of CDC, has committed the department to cover the full cost of testing and isolation for any and all Americans regardless of insurance.

The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, effective immediately.

The Big Ten Conference announced today that it will be canceling the remainder of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, effective immediately.https://t.co/MeQMNScXKQ

— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) March 12, 2020

Princess Cruises says it plans to be back in operation by May 11.

The move came after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive.

Mark Cuban reacts moments after the NBA season was suspended. pic.twitter.com/4g8Z7yLts6

— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2020

pic.twitter.com/pgybgIYJdG

— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 12, 2020

In an address to the nation on Wednesday evening, Trump called for “strong but necessary action” to prevent further spread of the virus to the U.S.

NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the move Wednesday afternoon.