NCAA cancels March Madness because of coronavirus; states begin to close all schools

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a statement released Thursday night, the prime minister’s office said she was tested at the advice of doctors after a trip to Britain. The test came back positive.

“She is feeling well, is taking all the recommended precautions and her symptoms remain mild,” the statement said.

The prime minister is not showing symptoms, according to his office, but he will self-isolate for 14 days. The statement included a personal message from Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.

“Although I’m experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of the virus, I will be back on my feet soon,” she wrote in the statement.

“We will get through this situation together. Please share the facts and take your health seriously,” she continued. “I send you all my courage and warm thoughts (but only “get better” hugs from afar!).”

Alaska, Maine and Wyoming announced their first positive tests for the novel coronavirus, as officials predict that the pandemic’s spread to all 50 U.S. states will come any day.

The latest case reported, a patient in Alaska, involves a foreign national who was traveling through Anchorage International Airport, state officials said. Authorities described the man as an “isolated case” who had contact with few people and sought treatment after noticing his symptoms.

“This is not a surprise,” Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) said, adding later, “We expect more positives.”

Authorities said that community transmission of the virus appears to be a problem in the lower 48 states rather than Alaska at this time.

Earlier in the day, Maine officials announced the state’s first detected coronavirus patient is a Navy reservist, now quarantined at home, who traveled in an area hit hard by the virus.

And late Wednesday, Wyoming reported its first positive test for a resident. Health officials described an adult woman with “some recent domestic travel history” and said they believe there is still little risk of the virus’s transmission in the state.

As of late Thursday, only Alabama, Idaho and West Virginia had not reported cases.

HONG KONG — Asian stocks plunged early Friday, with investors taking their cue from Wall Street after the Dow Jones industrial average suffered its worst day since 1987 on fears over the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan’s Nikkei index slumped almost 10 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng benchmark retreated 6 percent, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 7.5 percent, adding to heavy losses this month.

While there are signs the outbreak is easing in Asia, especially in China, worries about the prolonged economic impact as the virus ravages the United States and Europe have led many economists to predict a global recession this year.

The airline and travel industries have been especially hard hit, with carriers slashing flights globally and tourism down sharply across several continents. That was even before President Trump announced a 30-day ban on travelers from most of Europe from entering the United States.

The Archdiocese of Washington is closing all Catholic schools in the District and its Maryland suburbs for two weeks and halting the public celebration of Mass until further notice.

Citing the emergency order by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan banning public gatherings of 250 or more, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass to the 655,000 Catholics in the diocese, which includes the District and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties. He said weddings and funerals may still take place but attendance should be limited to immediate family.

“My number one priority as your Archbishop is to ensure the safety and health of all who attend our Masses, the children in our schools, and those we welcome through our outreach and services,” Gregory said in a statement. “Please know that this decision does not come lightly to close our schools or cancel Masses. We are profoundly saddened that we are not able to celebrate our sacraments as a community for the time being but we know Christ remains with us at all times — specifically in times of worry like this.”

The diocese includes 139 parishes and 93 Catholic schools.

Read more here.

LOS ANGELES — Before Adam Silver could announce to the public the National Basketball Association’s response to the coronavirus, which was to suspend the 2019-20 season, the league commissioner faced a more immediate challenge: communicating the severity of the growing pandemic to team owners, executives and players.

High-ranking executives from multiple teams generally praised Silver’s response to the spread of covid-19 across the country over the past two weeks, painting it proactive, thorough and timely. But those executives said in interviews that the league’s consensus plan, which was to play games without fans present, was initially met with skepticism and led to a divided conference call on Wednesday that concluded without a formal policy announcement.

Those who discussed the matter with The Washington Post spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the sensitive situation.

“I was shocked by the number of teams that were clueless at the size that [the coronavirus] would get to,” said one high-ranking executive privy to leaguewide conversations. “Some teams that hadn’t faced an outbreak in their communities didn’t think it was worth talking about.”

Read more here.

Disney and Universal Studios are closing several theme parks through the end of the month as fears mount that large gatherings will help spread the novel coronavirus.

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Paris Resort and two iconic Anaheim, Calif. attractions — Disneyland Park and Disneyland California Adventure — are all shutting down this weekend out of an “abundance of caution,” the Walt Disney Company announced Thursday. The properties had continued to draw enthusiastic crowds even as the coronavirus’s rising global toll stoked concern.

Disney Cruise Line will also suspend departures starting Saturday through the end of March, the company said.

Cast members will be paid during the closures, it added, and hotels at Disney World and Disneyland Paris will stay “open until further notice.” The company has asked domestic employees who are able to work from home to do so, it said.

Also closing this weekend are Universal Studios’ theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando, Calif., the company said Thursday.

California has barred mass gatherings to combat the coronavirus. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Thursday that the new statewide measure concerning large events would not yet apply to casinos, theaters and large theme parks, explaining that those industries had raised enough “legitimate concerns” that officials would allow more time to discuss repercussions.

But Disney announced later in the day that it would close its two California parks despite having “no reported cases” of covid-19 there. Universal Studios Hollywood, too, said it was closing beginning on Saturday in accordance with the California officials’ recommendations.

The closures in Anaheim will start Saturday, Disney says, but Disneyland Resort hotels will stay open until Monday so that guests can make travel arrangements. The company said in a statement that it will “work with guests who wish to change or cancel their visits” and refund people who booked during the shutdown period.

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NEW YORK — Any jury trial set to start next week was postponed and naturalization ceremonies were canceled indefinitely as new measures to protect against the covid-19 pandemic went into effect in the Southern District of New York courthouses, an official confirmed.

A contract worker at the district’s bankruptcy court building tested positive for the virus and was working on the premises on March 3, according to district executive Edward Friedland. The building is being thoroughly cleaned, although increased sanitization was already underway before SDNY administrators learned of the worker’s novel coronavirus diagnosis on Thursday afternoon, Friedland said.

Administrators made the call Thursday to put off any jury trials slated to start next, eliminating the need for jurors to be summoned to the courthouse. The SDNY covers two court buildings in Lower Manhattan and another in White Plains in Westchester County, not including bankruptcy court which is in another downtown location.

Judges were encouraged to hold phone conferences when possible, in lieu of regular court appearances. A judge overseeing a lawsuit against the Trump Organization said in a phone conference Thursday that phone conferences would be expected “for the foreseeable future.”

The last naturalization ceremonies for new U.S. citizens will be held at SDNY’s 500 Pearl Street courthouse Friday and roughly a hundred candidates are usually on hand to get citizenship certificates, often with several family members or guests in attendance. Only the candidates are allowed to attend tomorrow’s events which will minimize the crowd, Friedland said.

Kansas announced its first coronavirus patient death on Thursday evening, bringing the nationwide death count for the virus to 41 people.

The Kansas patient was a man in his 70s who lived in a long-term care facility and had underlying health conditions, Gov. Laura Kelly (D) said at a news conference. He was hospitalized.

Officials are tracing the man’s activities over the past two weeks, Kelly said, and quarantining anyone who had contact with him.

Kelly has declared a statewide emergency, saying the move will help her marshal resources to fight the virus.

“This is not a time to panic,” Kelly said. “Please continue to use common sense, hand washing, coughing into your elbow, staying home when ill. This remains the best defense against covid-19.”

Earlier Thursday, Washington state and Georgia also announced new deaths.