March 30 coronavirus news

By Amy Woodyatt, Julia Hollingsworth, Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 11:41 p.m. ET, March 30, 2020
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8:16 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Israel's Netanyahu will self-isolate after aide tests positive for Covid-19

From Mike Schwartz and Andrew Carey in Jerusalem

Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images
Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of his office are to self-isolate after a close aide, Rivkah Paluch, tested positive for coronavirus.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu and colleagues would enter self-quarantine as a precaution while an epidemiological investigation was carried out into any possible exposure to the virus.

The statement said that the Health Ministry in consultation with the Prime Minister’s personal doctor would determine when self-isolation would end.

8:11 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Prince Charles out of isolation and in good health after coronavirus diagnosis

From CNN’s Max Foster in London

Eamonn M. McCormack/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Eamonn M. McCormack/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Charles is in good health after completing a mandated seven days of self-isolation for coronavirus. 

“Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” a royal source told CNN.

A self-isolation period of seven days is in accordance with government and medical guidelines in the UK. The Duke of Cornwall was diagnosed with coronavirus last week and self-isolated at his residence in Scotland.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall continues to self-isolate because she needs to see if she develops symptoms, according to the source.

8:09 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

It's just gone 8 a.m. in New York. Here's the latest from around the world.

Russian police officers patrol the deserted Red square in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Monday, March 30, as the city and its surrounding regions imposed lockdowns.
Russian police officers patrol the deserted Red square in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Monday, March 30, as the city and its surrounding regions imposed lockdowns. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

It's Monday morning in the US. Here's a look at the biggest coronavirus news from the weekend and overnight:

  • Trump extends federal social distancing guidelines to April 30: Americans will be encouraged to avoid leaving their houses and keep working from home, as infections rise across the country. "The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end," President Trump said Sunday.
  • Easing distancing guidelines in the US “wrong decision”: Relaxing distancing guidelines at the end of the original 15-day period not only would have been the "wrong decision" but could have accelerated the coronavirus crisis in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on "New Day" on Monday morning.
  • Italy is on the verge of 100,000 cases: The coronavirus is spreading rapidly across Europe, with the worst affected countries still Italy, Spain and Germany. With more than 97,000 cases of the virus, Italy is likely to soon become the second country in the world to break the 100,000, after the United States. On Monday, the country’s association of doctors announced that 61 Italian doctors have died so far during coronavirus crisis.
  • UK outbreak shows signs of slowing, expert says: The UK could remain under coronavirus emergency measures for as long as six months, a top health official has said — even as one expert said there were early signs that the outbreak was slowing in Britain
  • Hungarian parliament to vote on whether Orban can rule by decree: The Hungarian parliament will Monday vote on whether to allow Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to rule by decree because of the coronavirus. 
8:03 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 2021

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo 

Carl Court/Getty Images
Carl Court/Getty Images

The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021.

The Tokyo 2020 organization committee president Yoshiro Mori said he had a phone call with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach today, where they agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics from July 23 to August 8, 2021.  

7:57 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

61 Italian doctors have died during coronavirus crisis

From CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite in London

In Italy, 61 doctors who caught the coronavirus have died, the Italian Association of Doctors said Monday.

In all, 8,358 health workers have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Italian National Institute of Health.

Out of the 61 deceased doctors, 40 were working in Lombardy, the Italian region worst-hit by coronavirus.

On the verge of 100,000 cases: With more than 97,000 cases of the virus, Italy is likely to soon become the second country in the world to break the 100,000 mark after the United States.

Medical personnel transport a coronavirus patient to a field hospital in Cremona, Italy, on March 20.
Medical personnel transport a coronavirus patient to a field hospital in Cremona, Italy, on March 20. Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images

Why has Italy become such a hot spot? There is no clear answer yet as to why Italy has been so badly affected by the coronavirus. Some people have suggested it could be the climate or the high number of elderly citizens. Whatever the reason, Italy still has the highest death toll in the world at 10,779 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

8:07 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

From Wednesday, it will be compulsory to wear face masks in Austrian supermarkets

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

A person pushes a shopping cart with groceries in Stockerau, Austria on March 13.
A person pushes a shopping cart with groceries in Stockerau, Austria on March 13. Herbert Pfarrhofer/APA/AFP/Getty Images

The wearing of face masks in supermarkets will become compulsory from Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced.

''As of the moment these masks are handed out in front of the supermarkets and it will become compulsory to wear them in supermarkets'', Kurz said, adding that ''the goal is in the medium term to not only wear these masks in supermarkets but also more generally wherever people have contact with each other'' 

''It would be a mistake to think that such masks protect you - that is definitely not the case. But what can be ensured by this is that there is no risk of transmission in the air. By wearing the mask you can protect other people, '' Kurz added.

Hotel and restaurant ban for tourists: Austria's government also announced Monday it will ban the use of hotels and its restaurants ''for touristic use'' until after Easter to help slow the spread of coronavirus. 

8:06 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Fauci: "I wouldn't be surprised if we saw 100,000 deaths" from coronavirus

From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard

President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House on March 29.
President Donald Trump listens as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House on March 29. Patrick Semansky/AP

The United States could see 100,000 people die of Covid-19 -- and that would not be "surprising," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

I don't want to see it - I would like to avoid it, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw 100,000 deaths," Fauci told CNN's John Berman on "New Day" on Monday morning.

"If you look at seasonal flu, we had a bad season in 2017-18, we lost over 60,000 people just in the seasonal flu," Fauci said. "This is clearly worse than that."

On Sunday, President Trump said that, based on models, the coronavirus outbreak could bring 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the United States. “If we can hold that number down...to 100,000, it’s a horrible number, maybe even less...we all, all together have done a very good job,” Trump said, citing worst-case scenario modeling that suggested over 2 million deaths.

Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, previously suggested Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that, based on models, he thought 100,000 or more Americans could die from coronavirus.

Easing distancing guidelines the "wrong decision": Easing distancing guidelines at the end of the original 15-day period not only would have been the "wrong decision" but could have accelerated the coronavirus crisis in the United States, Fauci said.

"We felt that if we prematurely pulled back, we would only form an acceleration or a rebound of something, which would have put you behind where you were before -- and that's the reason why we argued strongly with the President that he not withdraw those guidelines after 15 days, but that he extend them, and he did listen," Fauci told CNN's John Berman.

Watch more:

7:16 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Slight decrease in Spain's daily coronavirus deaths, numbers show

From Max Ramsay in London and Ingrid Formanek in Spain

Mortuary employees carry the coffin of a coronavirus victim during a burial at the Fuencarral cemetery in Madrid, on March 29.
Mortuary employees carry the coffin of a coronavirus victim during a burial at the Fuencarral cemetery in Madrid, on March 29. Baldesca Samper/AFP/Getty Images

There have been another 812 deaths in Spain from coronavirus, according to data from the past 24 hours. The numbers, released by the Spanish Health Ministry, show a smaller increase in daily fatalities than previously seen in the past two days. 

Spain has recorded a total of 7,340 deaths.

There are 61,075 active or current cases in the country -- an increase of 3,515 cases in the past 24 hours, with the number of active cases now well below what it was last week.

2,071 people recovered in the past 24 hours to make a total of 16,780, according to Health Ministry figures.

Officials warn ICUs near capacity: The number of new patients requiring ICU treatment, at 324 in the past 24 hours, was also slightly lower. However, Spanish Health Ministry officials have been warning that ICUs are near capacity, with the total number of patients requiring ICU treatment now at 5,231.

7:08 a.m. ET, March 30, 2020

Zaandam and Rotterdam cruise ships cross Panama Canal

From CNNE’s Daniel Silva Fernandez in Miami. Alert written by Hira Humayun in Atlanta.

Holland America's cruise ship Zaandam navigates through the Panama Canal on March 29.LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)
Holland America's cruise ship Zaandam navigates through the Panama Canal on March 29.LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images) Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images

The Zaandam and Rotterdam cruise ships crossed the Panama Canal late Sunday, according to the Panama Canal Authority.

In a statement, the Canal Authority said the transit was done “under special humanitarian conditions, after receiving authorization from the Ministry of Health.”

Holland America's Zaandam boat and its occupants had been in limbo for weeks awaiting permission to disembark after several South American ports denied the ship's entry.

The Rotterdam, which was there to help transfer passengers without symptoms and provide supplies, also passed through the waterway.

The Canal Authority detailed that extreme sanitary measures were taken for the transit of both vessels, including the use of the new locks to minimize the number of workers involved in the operation.

Passengers with flu-like symptoms: Holland America's Zaandam cruise ship now has 179 people with flu-like symptoms and four deaths on board, according to a statement from Holland America Sunday. 

The company released a statement last week confirming two individuals on board have tested positive for coronavirus.