British Airways has temporarily suspended its flying schedule at a major London airport
British Airways planes sit grounded at Heathrow airport in London on March 16. Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
British Airways has suspended its flying schedule at Gatwick airport in London.
Here's what the airline said in its statement:
“Due to the considerable restrictions and challenging market environment, like many other airlines, we will temporarily suspend our flying schedule at Gatwick. We are contacting affected customers to discuss their options.”
Airlines have struggled during the coronavirus outbreak, cutting flights in response to travel restrictions and a sharp fall in demand. On Monday, European budget airline easyJet announced it was grounding its entire fleet given the “unprecedented travel restrictions.”
3:15 a.m. ET, March 31, 2020
Asia's developing countries may face "global financial shock and recession" if they don't act fast, World Bank says
A woman walks past closed stalls at the Quiapo shopping district on March 30 in Manila, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
Countries in East Asia and the Pacific will be dealing with a recession if they do not act immediately to combat the economic shocks caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank is warning.
The organization said in a new report that the spread of Covid-19 could bring economic growth in China to a standstill or even cause the world’s second-biggest economy to contract by as much as 2.8%. China’s economy has been growing steadily by more than 6% annually for years.
It also estimated that the pandemic’s economic effects could drive millions of people in the region into poverty.
"If the economic situation were to deteriorate further, under the lower-case growth scenario, it is estimated that poverty would increase by about 11 million people across developing East Asia and the Pacific," the report said.
Much of the world is now experiencing the same economic hardships that China went through weeks ago. The global push to keep people at home to stop the virus' transmission is severely impacting manufacturing, production and supply chains while also hurting consumer demand. Increased border restrictions are also slowing the movement of goods and people across the planet.
"We are witnessing an unusual combination of disruptive and mutually reinforcing events. Significant economic pain seems unavoidable in all countries," the World Bank said in a statement.
However, the crisis in Asia-Pacific is particularly acute because the region had spent months dealing with the negative economic effects of the US-China trade war.
"The pandemic is profoundly affecting the region’s economies, but the depth and duration of the shock are unusually uncertain," the World Bank said in its new report.
Trump's self-congratulatory presence marks stark contrast with death toll
Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson
President Donald Trump attends a briefing about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House on March 30. Alex Brandon/AP
It is falling to President Donald Trump to lead America into its most tragic month in decades, as experts say the coronavirus pandemic could kill more citizens than the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
But the President's bullish, self-congratulatory rhetoric -- a staple of a presidency that has divided the nation -- is still jarring with the desperate reality of a fast-worsening pandemic that is running out of control.
On the day that heralded another grim new record in reported deaths -- more than 500 -- and that the fatality toll was roughly on par with those killed on September 11, 2001, Trump opened his daily news conference with a stark message, even though he still struggles to summon the empathy appropriate for such a time of mourning.
Trump, who will be called upon to steady an anguished nation in the days to come, warned the country of a "vital 30 days" ahead, a day after extending social distancing guidelines until the end of April.
"Our future is in our own hands and the choices and sacrifices we make will determine the fate of this virus and really the fate of our victory," he said.
It's no exaggeration to say Trump faces the most critical month of his presidency yet -- and how he conducts himself will be crucial for the country and his own hopes of reelection. But there are signs that he does not fully understand the stakes nor is willing to relegate his own interests in favor of the common good.
Trump still appears to be marveling at the spread of the virus, which he says no one could have predicted. Health experts had anticipated its arrival in the US for months as he predicted a miracle would occur and it would just go away.
It's morning in Europe. Here's what those just waking up may have missed overnight
A temporary hospital is set up at Temple University's Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on March 30. Matt Rourke/AP
Another macabre milestone in the United States: More than 3,000 people have now died as a result of Covid-19 in the US, and the rate of those killed each day is not expected to slow down soon.
A model cited by the White House estimated that 82,000 people could die from coronavirus by August, even with social distancing measures in place. The model, which is updated regularly, predicted Monday morning Eastern Time that more than 2,000 people could die each day in mid-April, when the virus is predicted to hit the country hardest.
At least 574 coronavirus-related deaths were reported in the US on Monday, according to a count by CNN Health. More than 160,000 have been infected in the country.
A critical 30 days ahead: President Donald Trump said he believes the next 30 days are important for flattening the curve to stop the outbreak of coronavirus. He emphasized the importance of social distancing, saying that every American "has a role to play in winning this war." Nearly 80% of the US population are under stay-at-home orders.
Every citizen, family, and business can make the difference in stopping the virus," Trump said. "This is our shared patriotic duty. Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days."
Trump told reporters at a news conference yesterday that the administration has “talked about” a nationwide stay-at-home order, similar to those of some states, but said it would be very “tough” to enforce and “not something we wanted to do.”
Worrying signs in India: The world's second-most populous country reported 227 new coronavirus patients Monday, its highest single-day jump since the outbreak began. While the numbers in India are relatively low -- at least 1,251 patients, 32 of whom died -- fatalities have been reported nationwide by the Indian Ministry of Health and concerns are growing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for all inside the country to self-isolate, but that is effectively impossible for the millions of people who are either homeless or live in dilapidated slums.
2:31 a.m. ET, March 31, 2020
South Korean students will start the new school year online
From CNN's Sophie Jeong in Seoul
South Korean students are preparing to start the new school year -- but they'll be taking classes online.
The start of the school year had been postponed three times, and was set to finally begin on April 6.
On Tuesday, the South Korean Ministry of Education announced that all elementary, middle, high and special-education schools nationwide would start school online.
Some grades will start on April 9, while other grades will start on April 16 or April 20.
South Korea's university entrance exam will be postponed by two weeks, the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hae said.
Cases rise: South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Tuesday that there are now 9,786 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country -- a jump of 125 new infections from the day before.
There have been four more deaths, bringing the national death toll to 162.
A total of 5,408 people in the country have recovered from coronavirus.
2:18 a.m. ET, March 31, 2020
An Amazon worker protested the company's coronavirus response. He's been fired
From CNN Business's Brian Fung
Workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse hold a strike on March 30 in New York. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Amazon has terminated an employee based in the company's Staten Island, New York, warehouse after heparticipated in a worker walkout protesting the company's response to the novel coronavirus.
Amazon confirmed the firing Monday night, telling CNN Business in a statement that the employee, Christian Smalls, was supposed to be under quarantine.
"Mr. Smalls was found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of Covid-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14 days, which is a measure we're taking at sites around the world," said Amazon spokesperson Kristen Kish. "Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite today, March 30, putting the teams at risk."
The firing follows the protest partly organized by Smalls, who had called on Amazon to shut down the Staten Island facility for deep cleaning after multiple cases of the coronavirus emerged there. In an interview on Sunday, Smalls told CNN he hadspent the past week trying to persuade senior warehouse officials to close the building and sterilize it, but to no avail.
Monday's protest saw more than a dozen people walk off the job at around lunchtime, according to Amazon and a livestream of the event viewed by CNN.
In a phone interview Monday night after his firing, Smalls said he is being singled out for punishment and that his firing reflects a culture of apathy at Amazon.
"Everybody's been warning me that [this] might happen, so I kinda expected it," Smalls said. "But for them to do it this way, and for the reasoning behind it, that tells you right there that they, number one, don't care about people, and number two, it's just a target, a straight up target."
"Not being able to be there and hold my mom's hand, rub her head, tell her the things I wanted to say to her. It was such a helpless feeling, I can just remember the days leading up feeling so frustrated and helpless and not being able to talk to her because she was not conscious during that time," Bennett told CNN Monday.
But a nurse at Swedish Issaquah hospital in Washington took it upon herself to make sure Bennett got to say her goodbyes. Bennett said the nurse called her from her personal cell phone and said her mother's breathing was changing and she probably wouldn't live much longer.
"I'm going to put the phone up to her face so you can tell her you love her and say your goodbyes," Bennett says the nurse told her. "She will not be alone, we will stay with her till the end."
Ten minutes later, Bennett says she was speaking to her ailing mother over FaceTime.
"I love you very much," Bennett told her mother, adding the two had discussed recently the trials every mother-daughter relationship goes through and that she never got to tell her mother she forgave her.
"I forgive you mom, I love you. I know I didn't get a chance to say it," Bennett said. "Mom, it's OK to pass on. It's OK to go now."
Deepak Chopra's meditation stream crashes as people tune in to the wellness guru
From CNN's Amanda Jackson
Deepak Chopra receives the Humanitarian Award at Brain Mapping Foundation's "Gathering for Cure" gala on March 16, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Brain Mapping Foundation
During the coronavirus pandemic, many people are searching for some peace and relaxation any way they can get it -- but so many were searching for it on Sunday that their peace was cut short.
It happened as people across the world logged in to a live meditation session with Deepak Chopra. As the event was streaming on Vimeo, an online video platform, it abruptly stopped.
"We had set up a site but the site crashed," Chopra said as he re-emerged shortly afterward on Facebook live. "We were hoping for a million people and indeed we think we had them."
Chopra's global event was set to begin at 12 p.m. ET and meant to connect people's energy to heal the world at a time when we need it most, the event description says.
But Vimeo said user error was to blame.
"What happened with this customer was not due to any technical issue with Vimeo's platform," a Vimeo spokesperson told CNN in a statement. "The customer had multiple admin users logged into the broadcast at once, which disrupted the stream."
It's just past 1:30 p.m. in Beijing and 11 a.m. in New Delhi. Here's the latest from the world's most populous countries
Members of the fire brigade spray disinfectant in the streets of Mumbai, India on March 30. Rafiq Maqbool/AP
China
As of the end of the day Monday, 81,518 people have contracted the coronavirus in mainland China, according to the country's National Health Commission. Of those, 76,052 have recovered and 3,305 have died.
Forty-eight new cases were identified Monday, all of which were imported from abroad. At least 2,161 infections are considered "active cases."
China's notoriously difficult college entrance examination, the gaokao, is being postponed for the first time in years. Millions of students sit the test each year.
India
India has confirmed at least 1,251 coronavirus patients, 32 of whom had died, according to the country's health ministry. Authorities identified 227 cases Monday, the biggest number in a single day since the outbreak began.
Video from the state of Uttar Pradesh showing migrant workers being sprayed with disinfectant has sparked outrage. A senior official at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the officers were reprimanded.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sharing yoga tips to help keep citizens healthy while the country is in lockdown.
