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March 12 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Sheena McKenzie and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 10:06 PM ET, Thu March 12, 2020

198 Posts

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6:56 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Head coach of English football club tests positive for coronavirus

From CNN's Homero De La Fuente

The Arsenal Football Club of the English Premier League announced today that head coach Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus.

"All club personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution," a statement from the club said.

Arteta discussed the diagnosis, saying, “This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed.”

6:43 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Cleveland Cavaliers player donates $100,000 to support staff affected by NBA cancellations

Cleveland Cavaliers player Kevin Love announced on Instagram that he is donating $100,000 through his foundation to support the team's arena and support staff who have been impacted by the suspension of the NBA season.

Here's a portion of his statement:

"Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. And the fear and anxiety resulting from the recent outbreak of COVID-19 can be extremely overwhelming.
Through the game of basketball, we've been able to address major issues and stand together as a progressive league that cares about the players, the fans, and the communities where we work. I'm concerned about the level of anxiety that everyone is feeling and that is why I'm committing $100,000 through the @KevinLoveFund in support of the @Cavs arena and support staff that had a sudden life shift due to the suspension of the NBA season. I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities.”

6:34 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Illinois issues guidance on large-scale gatherings

From CNN's Rebekah Riess

Illinois and the City of Chicago are mandating all large-scale events exceeding 1,000 individuals be cancelled for the next 30 days, according to Gov. J. B. Pritzker.

According to Pritzker, Tuesday’s election will proceed as scheduled.

“This is a fundamental function of government, and the state is committed to making sure the election proceeds with as little disruption as possible,” the governor said.

At this time, the City of Chicago and state are not recommending that school be cancelled, but Pritzker said they are monitoring the situation and asking schools to scale back on large assemblies, among other measures.

Pritzker said Illinois is encouraging businesses across the state to consider letting their employees work remotely and for those who cannot, to encourage social distancing between employees.

6:30 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Smithsonian Museums and National Zoo close to the public

From CNN's Adrienne Winston

The Smithsonian Institute has released a statement saying, “all Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC, metropolitan area and New York City, including the National Zoo will temporarily close to the public starting Saturday, March 14.”

The statement did not give an end date to the closures and said “updates on a week-to-week basis on our websites.”

6:28 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

School districts across Georgia to close due to the coronavirus

From CNN's Jamiel Lynch

Numerous school districts around Georgia will be closing due to rising coronavirus concerns.

Here are some of the districts and when they are closing and for how long as of this afternoon:

Cobb County Schools: Will close March 16 until further notice
Marietta City Schools: Will close March 16 for at least two weeks
City Schools of Decatur: To close indefinitely starting March 13
Fulton County Schools: Will close March 16 until further notice
Atlanta Public Schools: To close on March 16 for at least two weeks
DeKalb School District: Will close March 16 until further notice

6:27 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Portugal to close all educational establishments on Monday over coronavirus outbreak

From CNN's Isa Soares

Portugal will close all educational establishments in order to try to contain the outbreak of coronavirus, the country's Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in a news conference on Thursday according to Portugal's state broadcaster RTP Noticias.

Cruise ships will be able to dock in Portugal, but only Portuguese passengers who are returning home will be allowed to disembark, Costa said according to the broadcaster.

The government will also limit visits to nursing homes in order to protect the most vulnerable section of the population, he said.

These measures will go into effect on Monday, RTP Noticias reported.

6:22 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

San Francisco public schools will close for three weeks

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

San Francisco Unified School District will close for the next three weeks, starting Monday, and extending through the previously scheduled spring break.

“This is not business as usual,” Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews announced, adding, “This will require a measured, sustained response.”

In closing all schools, Matthews said this comes in an effort to prepare for a potentially longer closure.

“As testing increases, so will our number of positive cases,” he warned.

San Francisco Unified School District is California’s seventh largest, with more than 57,000 students.

6:13 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

New Jersey courts suspending all new jury trials to help minimize exposure to coronavirus

From Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio

The New Jersey court system is suspending all new jury trials until further notice to help minimize exposure to coronavirus, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced today.

“While jury trials are a critical component of our justice system, this extraordinary step is necessary to protect the health and safety of the community,” Rabner said. “At the same time, we will make every effort to keep our court system running in the face of this health crisis.”

“We are in full support of the Judiciary’s response to this public health emergency,” Gov. Phil Murphy added.

Acting administrative director of the courts Judge Glenn Grant said it was a critical decision.

“It is imperative that we take action to avoid large public gatherings at our court facilities,” Grant said. “At the same time, we will leverage our technological capabilities so that other court proceedings can continue with minimal disruption to our justice system."

6:09 p.m. ET, March 12, 2020

Apollo Theater cancels its public programs

Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater is canceling all of its theater-produced public programs starting Friday through April 4 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The cancellation includes these programs:

WOW — Women of the World Festival
Amateur Night at the Apollo
School Day Live
Historic Tours
Live Wire
Apollo Comedy Club
Apollo Music Café events

The Apollo Theater and African Film Festival’s Africa Now! concert on April 4 has also been been postponed until the fall.