March 18 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Helen Regan, Steve George, Angela Dewan and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 9:37 p.m. ET, March 18, 2020
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2:39 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Taiwan bans entry for most foreign nationals

From CNN's Alexandra Lin, Chermaine Lee and Akanksha Sharma in Hong Kong

Workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan on January 22.
Workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan on January 22. Chen Chi-chuan/AFP/Getty Images

Taiwan is banning most foreign nationals from entering the country in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, announced the island's Epidemic Central Command Center today.

"All foreign nationals, except for those with resident, diplomatic or business credentials or others with special permission, will not be allowed to enter Taiwan," said officials at a news conference.

They added that travelers coming to the island will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day home quarantine.

The restrictions will go into effect tomorrow local time.

2:29 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Just joining us? Here's a quick catch up

Volunteers use disinfectant Wat Traimit temple in Bangkok, Thailand on March 18.
Volunteers use disinfectant Wat Traimit temple in Bangkok, Thailand on March 18. Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

The numbers: Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases reported by the World Health Organization and additional sources, puts the total number of cases worldwide at more than 198,000, with at least 7,900 deaths.

Emergency funding: The White House Office of Management and Budget is requesting the US Congress for an additional $45.8 billion in the face of a pandemic and Spain has approved a 200 billion euro (almost $220 billion) aid package.

More flights suspended: Sri Lanka has suspended all flights arriving into the country for two weeks, effective midnight today. Meanwhile, United Airlines is cutting even more domestic and international flights, following the US restrictions on travel from the UK and other European countries.

Travel restrictions widen: European leaders have decided to ban non-essential travel to the EU for 30 days. US-Canada border crossing limits are expected. Macao has banned all travelers from overseas countries from entering. And Taiwan is banning most foreign nationals.

Asylum seekers affected: The US administration is pushing to pass tough immigration restrictions including blocking entry to asylum seekers. A plan to turn back all migrants seeking asylum would have its most immediate effect on the US-Mexico border.

Saudi Arabia: All work in private sectors is being suspended for 15 days. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia banned Muslims from conducting five daily prayers and Friday prayers inside mosques as a precautionary measure.

More action needed: Countries in Southeast Asia must “urgently scale-up aggressive measures” and widespread testing to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, said World Health Organization officials.

2:24 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

US states are closing schools, ordering people to stay home, and deploying the National Guard

A message board outside of Brookside Elementary school is covered over with signs announcing the school's closure on March 17 in San Anselmo, California.
A message board outside of Brookside Elementary school is covered over with signs announcing the school's closure on March 17 in San Anselmo, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the US, states are taking emergency measures to combat the pandemic. Here are some of tonight's latest developments:

  • Hawaii is asking tourists to stay away and postpone their holidays.
  • Nevada is asking people to stay home, and is ordering non-essential businesses to close for 30 days.
  • California has closed nearly all public schools. In Northern California, nearly 8 million residents are under a shelter in place order.
  • South Carolina is closing bars and some restaurants, and extending state tax deadlines.
  • Washington is looking “beyond the usual places” to find protective medical equipment.
  • Wisconsin is closing schools, prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people, and prohibiting restaurants from serving food on premises.
  • Colorado has deployed members of the National Guard to support local and state response.

And the virus finally reached West Virginia, the last uninfected state, today. All 50 states now have cases of the coronavirus.

2:04 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

The WHO says it never offered coronavirus tests to the US CDC

From CNN's Arman Azad

The World Health Organization logo is seen at their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on March 9.
The World Health Organization logo is seen at their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on March 9. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

The World Health Organization didn’t offer Covid-19 tests to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told CNN on Tuesday.

There were no discussions between the WHO and CDC on providing tests, according to Jasarevic, who added that the US typically has the capacity to manufacture its own tests, so it doesn't usually rely on the WHO for them.

Separate manufacturers: On January 17, the WHO published a protocol from German researchers with the instructions necessary for any country to manufacture coronavirus tests. 

The US pursued its own design and began testing for the coronavirus at the CDC in Atlanta. On February 5, the CDC announced it would begin shipping test kits to public health labs in the US.

One day later, the WHO said it had shipped 250,000 tests to more than 70 laboratories around the world.

Delays and stumbles in US testing: Days after CDC’s tests shipped, some labs reported that the test kits were not working as expected, which eventually required tests to be re-manufactured. 

On March 1, an official at US Health and Human Services said the agency had launched an investigation into a manufacturing defect in the CDC tests.

As of March 9, public health labs in all 50 states and Washington, DC, are able to test for the coronavirus.

1:52 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Walmart commits $25 million to the global coronavirus response effort

Shopping carts are seen outside of a Walmart store in Miami, Florida on February 18.
Shopping carts are seen outside of a Walmart store in Miami, Florida on February 18. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have committed $25 million to support organizations responding to the coronavirus outbreak, the company said in a news release Tuesday. 

The funds will be distributed in grants to address public health needs, food security, and other community needs both locally and internationally, said the release. The first grants are expected to be issued this week.

Here's how it breaks down:

  • $5 million will support global efforts in preventing, detecting and managing the coronavirus
  • $10 million will support food banks, school meal programs and organizations that provide access to food for underserved populations
  • $10 million will support efforts in US communities and global markets.

“In times of need, we see communities come together to do extraordinary things. This pandemic is no different,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation.

"We hope these grants will help to expand critical response efforts as we continue to work together to address the impact of Covid-19.”

Kathleen McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit on September 23, 2019 in New York City.
Kathleen McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit on September 23, 2019 in New York City. Riccardo Savi/Getty Images
1:35 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

The US is pushing to reject all asylum seekers, citing coronavirus worries

From CNN's Evan Perez, Geneva Sands and Priscilla Alvarez

A couple wearing protective masks walks towards the El Chaparral crossing port on the US/Mexico Border in Tijuana, Mexico, on February 29.
A couple wearing protective masks walks towards the El Chaparral crossing port on the US/Mexico Border in Tijuana, Mexico, on February 29. Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the US administration is pushing to pass tough immigration restrictions including blocking entry to asylum seekers, according to US officials briefed on the plans.

A plan to turn back all migrants seeking asylum would have its most immediate effect on the US-Mexico border. It has run into opposition from several government agencies, in part because of concerns that it would violate US and international law, including treaties on how to deal with refugees and victims of torture.

Officials are working on a plan to deny entry to all asylum seekers, according to multiple sources. That may include a plan to return all illegal border crossers without due process.

US citizens and legal permanent residents will continue to be allowed to enter the US, the official said, adding that the ban won't apply to cargo shipments. However, it is unclear whether others will be allowed to continue to cross legally.

Asked for comment, DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift said in a statement, "President Trump is 100% focused on protecting the American people," adding that "all options are on the table."

One official said immigration hardliners have long looked for ways to try to stop asylum seekers from even having their claims heard by immigration officers, and that the coronavirus threat was being used as an excuse to accomplish what they had so far been unable to.

Read the full story here:

1:20 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Saudi Arabia suspends work in private sectors

From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq in Atlanta 

Closed shops are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 16.
Closed shops are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 16. Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia has suspended all work in private sectors for 15 days as part of the country's efforts to contain the coronavirus, state-run news agency SPA reported today. 

The kingdom ordered activation of "remote working procedures except for vital sectors and sensitive infrastructure sectors such as electricity, water, and communications," said SPA, citing the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia banned Muslims from conducting five daily prayers and Friday prayers inside mosques as a precautionary measure to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to SPA.

Saudi Arabia currently has 171 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.

12:54 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

Sri Lanka suspends all incoming flights for two weeks

Airport employees monitor screens of a thermal scanner to check body temperature of arriving passengers, at Bandaranaike International airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka on January 24.
Airport employees monitor screens of a thermal scanner to check body temperature of arriving passengers, at Bandaranaike International airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka on January 24. Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

Sri Lanka has suspended all flights arriving into the country for two weeks, effective midnight today for two weeks, said Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a statement on Twitter.

Yesterday, the government also declared a three day public holiday to slow the spread of coronavirus, across all public and private entities except essential services.

"Please support the effort by staying home & practice social distancing," Rajapaksa said in an earlier tweet announcing the holiday.

Sri Lanka currently has 44 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.

12:35 a.m. ET, March 18, 2020

White House requests $45.8 billion in emergency funding

From CNN's Phil Mattingly

Russell Vought, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on March 11, 2019.
Russell Vought, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on March 11, 2019. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The White House Office of Management and Budget submitted an emergency funding request to the US Congress tonight for an additional $45.8 billion in the face of a pandemic.

The sweeping request for new funds and statutory authority came on the same day the Trump administration presented a $1 trillion stimulus proposal on Capitol Hill.

“With the pandemic growing, resource needs have also grown,” Russell Vought, the acting OMB director, wrote in a letter attached to the 118 page request that was sent to lawmakers late Tuesday night.

“The unprecedented mobilization the Administration has achieved has forced agencies to incur unanticipated costs. These costs must be met with a legislative response to ensure full operational capacity.”

Why this matters: The request comes on top the $8.3 billion in emergency funding passed by Congress just two weeks ago -- underscoring just how dramatically financial demands at federal agencies have grown in a matter of days. 

The request is also viewed by the administration as coming in tandem with the large-scale economic stimulus negotiation, which are expected to have a price tag north of $1 trillion, currently underway on Capitol Hill. 

The package isn't a complete single solution: It's not meant to be a "broad-based solution to the major economic dislocation wrought by the virus, nor is it the primary means by which the Federal Government plans to address the hardships of families, individuals, and communities who have been touched by the disease,” Vought wrote.

“We are currently in active dialogue with the Congress on additional proposals that speak to these broader, vital issues.”

Negotiators are planning to include the emergency funding request in the stimulus package currently being discussed, congressional aides tell CNN.