March 14 coronavirus news

Google will not be publishing a national-scale website for coronavirus testing anytime soon, contrary to claims made by President Trump during a Friday news conference.

Instead, a health-focused subsidiary owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, intends to launch a small-scale website next week to begin to triage California-based patients. The website will aim to serve a broader population only "over time" — not "very quickly," as Trump said.

Wang added: "Our aspiration is for the triage tool to be used much more broadly over time. Initially, we're linking it with several sites in the Bay Area to test and iterate, and collaborating closely with organizations like Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp who are also working on additional approaches to making testing more accessible and expedient in other areas."

Officials in the state of California were stunned Friday to see the White House present a graphic for a modest pilot program that California's been developing with Alphabet as if it were a Trump administration program that was a nationwide initiative and ready to go, according to a knowledgeable source.

Still, a White House official, in reaction to Google's response, doubled down Saturday, telling CNN that "the Trump administration is working with Google to develop a website Americans can go to determine whether a test is needed and, if so, facilitate testing at a nearby location. We expect to have more details in the days ahead."

Some context: Verily's statement sharply contrasts with Trump's remarks Friday in the White House Rose Garden when the President said Google "is helping to develop a website. It's going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past, to determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location."

Louisiana's ability to deliver services "will be overwhelmed with a lower number of cases" compared to other states, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press briefing this afternoon about the coronavirus.

Edwards has been in communication with Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Health and Human Services regarding resources and to possibly set-up a drive-thru testing site in the state. 

Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the state will be limiting crowds to no more than 250 people, according to Edwards. 

Church service, however, will not be limited.

"I am a man of faith" and science, Edwards said. 

As of Saturday afternoon, Louisiana has 67 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through public health systems.

The Supreme Court has closed its doors to the public until "further notice" as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic ripples across the country, raising questions about how the justices will handle the next set of oral arguments scheduled to begin March 23.

The pandemic could mean changes not just to public access but to how the justices interact with each other as they enter the last few months of a term that includes an unprecedented number of consequential and controversial cases.

The session includes a blockbuster case at the end of the month concerning President Trump's bid to shield his financial documents from disclosure.

What the justices are doing in the meantime: The justices are mostly lying low and taking advantage of a brief recess from arguments. Scheduled speaking events for Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Clarence Thomas have all been recently cancelled. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, however, traveled to Kentucky Friday for the ceremonial swearing in of a lower court judge.

But this Sunday, the court's oldest member Ruth Bader Ginsburg turns 87 years old — and while she often wears lace gloves in public, as a survivor of 4 bouts of cancer is in a high risk group for almost any illness.

A majority of her colleagues also qualify as "older adults" at higher risk of getting sick, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Besides Ginsburg, Breyer is 81, Thomas, 71, Samuel Alito 69 and Chief Justice John Roberts and Sotomayor are 65.

That fact alone raises questions of how the court should handle upcoming arguments in a chamber that holds about 500 people and it highlights the fact that the court does not allow same day audio much less cameras in the court room.

There are at least 2,430 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, there are 70 cases from repatriated citizens. According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through public health systems, there are 2,430 cases in 49 states, Washington, DC, and US territories.

In total, 50 people in the US have died. 

West Virginia is the only state yet to report a case of coronavirus.

The Italian government is introducing a series of emergency measures countrywide to address the coronavirus, including the ”protocol for workplace safety” which aims to protect healthcare workers and other types of professionals from contracting the virus and alleviating the economic and physical toll the pandemic has taken on society.

“Italy will not stop,” Conte said.

Dubbed the “super-decree,” the measures include financial support for working families across the country in addition to mandatory workplace safety improvements to help avoid contracting the virus.

“The continuation of production activities can only take place if there are conditions that ensure that people working are adequately protected,” according to the official protocol.

Other measures include incentives to protect Italians economically.

There will be a pause on mortgages and bill reductions for workers, which includes suspension of home loan installments for people who rely on social safety programs. 

The US has "not reached our peak" in terms of novel coronavirus cases in the country, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, who addressed the country today in the White House briefing room.

Fauci added that there will be more cases and more deaths, primarily among vulnerable older individuals.

On testing, Fauci said, “Now it’s all systems go. Let’s look forward,” following the declaration of a national emergency on Friday.

The Trump administration is expected to extend the travel ban to the United States from European countries to include the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

Following Trump's remarks, Vice President Mike Pence said all travel from the United Kingdom and Ireland has been suspended, effective midnight on Monday.

The same exclusions that are a part of the already existing European travel restrictions will also apply to the UK and Ireland, Pence said.

Watch:

President Trump just announced at a press conference that he has taken a coronavirus test. He took the test Friday night after getting questions at a press conference.

Trump said he did not know the results yet and that it usually takes 1-2 days.

Before coming out to the White House press briefing room today, Trump said he had his temperature taken and later when asked how it was, he said it was normal.

Watch:

During a press conference this afternoon, President Trump expressed his gratitude for all the people and organizations working to address the coronavirus pandemic.

About the legislation: The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan legislative package in response to the spread of coronavirus in the early hours of Saturday morning following intense negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Trump administration.

The bill passed with broad, bipartisan support and a final tally of 363-40 with 40 Republicans voting against it and Independent Justin Amash of Michigan voting "present."

Late in the day on Friday, Trump tweeted his support for the measure that includes provisions for paid emergency leave and free testing for COVID-19, after Pelosi announced that Democrats had struck a deal with the administration.

The legislation will provide, according to Pelosi, "paid emergency leave with two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave." It will also expand federal funding for Medicaid "to support our local, state, tribal and territorial governments and health systems, so that they have the resources necessary to combat this crisis."