Health and Science

Coronavirus: Jakarta closes all schools, Apple shuts stores outside China

Key Points
  • Florida said there were 25 new people who tested positive for the coronavirus, and one additional death.
  • Apple will be temporarily shutting all stores outside Greater China until Mar. 27 but its online stores will still be open. In a tweet, CEO Tim Cook said that "we must do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
  • South Korea reported 107 new cases as of Mar. 14, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 8,086.
  • China said there were 11 new confirmed cases and 13 additional deaths as of Mar. 13. All the fatalities in the latest report came from Hubei province.
What is a pandemic?
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What is a pandemic?

The coverage on this live blog has ended — but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team.

  • Global cases: At least 145,374, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University
  • Global deaths: At least 5,429, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University
  • US cases: At least 2,174, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

All times below are in Beijing time.

8:12 pm: Italians are singing songs from their windows to boost morale

Videos have been shared on social media of Italian citizens singing and dancing during a nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

One widely shared video shows neighbors singing a patriotic folk song in Siena, a city in central Italy's Tuscany region. —Clinch

https://twitter.com/valemercurii/status/1238234518508777473

8:09 pm: Lululemon shortens store hours across North America

Lululemon will reduce the hours of all stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in response to the growing coronavirus outbreak. Starting Monday, stores in North America will only be open from noon to 6 p.m., according to an email to customers.

Celeste Burgoyne, the company's executive vice president of the Americas and global guest innovation, said in the email that the decision is intended "to help our people and communities through this difficult time." She did not say when the athletic wear retailer would resume regular store hours. She said the stores have also suspended all workout classes and events.

During the height of the coronavirus in China, the majority of Lululemon's 38 stores in China were closed and some others had reduced hours.

Other retailers have announced changes, too. Apple said Friday that it would close all stores outside of China until March 27, but keep its online store open. Patagonia said Friday it would close all of its stores and online operations. —Repko

6:32 pm: Cases rise in Iran, Malaysia and Vietnam

Iran's health official reportedly said that 12,729 had now been infected, with 611 deaths. On Friday, it had reported a death toll of 514 and 11,364 infections.

In Vietnam, five more cases of the coronavirus were confirmed, including a British, a Czech and three Vietnamese citizens, according to Reuters. That brings the country's total to 53 confirmed infections.

Malaysia reported 41 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, according to Reuters, with all of them linked to a religious event just outside of the capital Kuala Lumpur. —Clinch

6:24 pm: Japan's Abe considers lowering sales tax

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was mulling over fiscal options to combat the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters. 

He said he would consider various options when asked about a proposal to lower the country's sales tax to 5% on a temporary basis.

The country has 725 confirmed cases of the virus with 21 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. —Clinch

4:49 pm: Jakarta shuts down schools for 2 weeks

Indonesia's capital will be shuttering all schools for a fortnight, and all teaching will take place remotely for at least two weeks, Reuters said citing Jakarta's Governor Anies Baswedan. The capital city of Jakarta, where 10 million people reside, is battling to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there are at least 69 cases of the virus nationwide, of which four have died. —Joanna Tan

4:37 pm: Florida reports 25 new cases and 1 additional death

Florida said there were 25 new people who tested positive for the coronavirus, and one additional death. "One Orange County, FL resident tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling and has died in California," the health department tweeted.

According to the latest data from the health department, at least 3 Florida residents have died from the flu-like disease that has spread rapidly across the world. —Joanna Tan

Tweet: DOH has confirmed 25 new individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in Florida. All are being cared for and isolated. One Orange County, FL resident tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling and has died in California

2:55 pm: Apple to temporarily shut all stores outside Greater China

Apple will be temporarily closing its stores outside Greater China until Mar. 27 but its online stores will still be open.

In a tweet, CEO Tim Cook said that "we must do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19." He added that the iPhone-maker will also be committing $15 million to help with the recovery.

Tweet: In our workplaces and communities, we must do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Apple will be temporarily closing all stores outside of Greater China until March 27 and committing $15M to help with worldwide recovery.

As of Friday, all of Apple's stores in China were set to open after the outbreak forced a prolonged closure of its retail locations. The U.S. technology giant has 42 stores in China and while all have opened their doors, some are operating on limited hours. —Joanna Tan

Apple logo at a store in Honolulu.
Alex Tai | SOPA Images |LightRocket via Getty Images

2:40 pm: Taiwan wants travelers from Europe to be quarantined

Taiwan has raised its travel alert for countries in Europe's Schengen area, as well as for Britain and Ireland, advising its citizens not to travel there unless necessary, Reuters reported. 

The government announced that travelers from those countries will have to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival from Mar. 17, according to the report. The so-called Schengen area in Europe has no passport checks between internal borders.

People arriving from Dubai, and those who transit from there, will also be quarantined, Reuters said. —Joanna Tan

12:56 pm: House passes relief bill, sending it to Senate

The House passed a coronavirus relief plan early Saturday after hours of talks between Democrats and the Trump administration on how to blunt the economic damage of the global pandemic.

The chamber approved the 110-page bill to provide relief to consumers and workers walloped by the outbreak less than an hour after text was released. The measure passed in an overwhelming 363-40-1 vote.

The legislation now heads to the Senate. The upper chamber left Washington for the weekend and will not have a chance to approve it until next week. (See updates at 7 p.m. ET and 7:50 p.m. ET) —Jacob Pramuk

12:15 pm: White House physician says Trump shared table with guest who tested positive

Donald Trump was at the same dinner table as a guest who later tested positive for COVID-19, the president's physician said Friday. The incident took place last weekend, while Trump was hosting a delegation from Brazil at Mar-a-Lago, where he was briefly in contact with the press secretary of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro who also tested positive after the event.

In the second case, Trump shared the dinner table with the guest who "was symptom-free until this morning," Dr. Sean Conley said in a statement which did not mention the name of the guest.

"There is no indication for home quarantine at this time" as the interactions would be considered low risk for transmission, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he added. —Joanna Tan

11:49 am: Pentagon halts domestic travel for those affiliated with the Department of Defense

The Pentagon has halted all domestic travel for service members, Department of Defense civilians, and their family members. The new measures take effect from Mar. 16 through to May 11, according to a statement by the Pentagon Public Affairs.

"Similar to other travel guidance regarding COVID-19, travel exceptions may be granted for compelling cases where the travel is mission-essential, for humanitarian reasons, or warranted due to extreme hardship," the statement said. "Our goal is to remain ahead of the virus spread so our military force remains effective and ready." 

The United States has so far reported at least 2,174 confirmed cases and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.—Joanna Tan

11:10 am: Saudi Arabia suspends international flights for two weeks

Saudi Arabia will suspend international flights for two weeks starting from Sunday, 11 a.m. local time, the state news agency reported. According to the Saudi Press Agency, an official source at the interior ministry said the new measures will be taken to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.

The kingdom has at least 86 confirmed cases, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. Last month, Saudi Arabia temporarily barred the entry of foreign pilgrims and tourists, in order to stem the spread of COVID-19. —Joanna Tan

10:25 am: China reports 11 new cases and 13 additional deaths

China said there were 11 new confirmed cases and 13 additional deaths as of Mar. 13. All the fatalities in the latest report came from Hubei province — the epicenter of the outbreak where most cases have been found. The latest numbers from the National Health Commission brings to total number of confirmed cases in the mainland to 80,824, and the cumulative death toll to 3,189. —Joanna Tan

Community volunteers transfer bags of vegetables for residents in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province on March 13, 2020.
Stringer | AFP | Getty Images

10:08 am: New Zealand cancels memorial service  for Christchurch mosque shooting

New Zealand has canceled the national memorial service to commemorate the first anniversary of the Christchurch shooting where 51 people were killed when a gunman stormed two mosques. The event, which was initially set to be held in Christchurch on Sunday, was canceled over fears the new coronavirus could spread in crowded places.

"This is a pragmatic decision," said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. "We're very saddened to cancel, but in remembering such a terrible tragedy, we shouldn't create the risk of further harm being done."

As of Saturday, 1 p.m. local time, New Zealand reported 6 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the health ministry.—Joanna Tan

9:33 am: South Korea adds 107 new cases

South Korea reported 107 new cases as of Mar. 14, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 8,086. There were 5 additional fatalities, bringing the death toll to 72, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —Joanna Tan

Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a subway station in Seoul on March 13, 2020. - UNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
Jung Yeon-Je | AFP | Getty Images

All times below are in Eastern time.

7:50 pm: Trump urges Republicans to back Pelosi and Mnuchin's coronavirus response deal

President Donald Trump voiced his support for a House coronavirus relief plan Friday after a day of talks between Democrats and his administration on how to blunt the economic damage of the global pandemic. 

In a series of tweets, the president said "I fully support" the legislation negotiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He urged Republicans and Democrats in the House to support the bill and and he looks forward to signing it "ASAP!" —Jacob Pramuk

7 pm: Deal to pass coronavirus relief bill hits last-minute snag

Efforts to pass a coronavirus relief package hit another roadblock Friday night as negotiators in Washington sent mixed signals about whether they reached agreement on a plan.

Earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote to colleagues that "we are proud to have reached an agreement" on a proposal to blunt the economic damage of the global pandemic after hours of back-and-forth with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. But after 7:30 p.m. ET, the second-ranking Democrat in the House said his party had not actually reached a deal with the White House.

"She thought there was" a deal, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told NBC News when asked why Pelosi announced an agreement. —Jacob Pramuk

5:30 pm: Trump says UK could be added to European travel restrictions

President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.K. could be added to sweeping restrictions on travel for much of Europe, measures aimed at curbing the coronavirus.

The restrictions that Trump announced earlier this week and that take effect at midnight prohibit the entry of foreigners who have been in 26 European countries for 30 days. They currently exclude the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland. —Leslie Josephs

Mnuchin: Temporary student loan suspension is on list for coronavirus measures
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Mnuchin: Temporary student loan suspension is on list for coronavirus measures

4:40: Trump says he will 'most likely' be tested for coronavirus

President Donald Trump said Friday that he will "most likely" be tested for coronavirus – minutes after he said that he will not take any precautionary measures following his close contact at Mar-a-Lago with a Brazilian official who was diagnosed with the disease.

Trump, who said earlier this week that he was "not concerned" about his exposure to people who may be at risk of transmitting the disease, made the comments at the White House after declaring a national emergency. —Kevin Breuninger

Read CNBC's coverage from the U.S. overnight: Washington reports 5 new coronavirus deaths, Trump says UK could be added to EU travel ban

— CNBC's Jacob Pramuk, Kevin Breuninger and Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.