California has declared an emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, as tests continue Thursday on board a Princess cruise ship that has been linked to two cases of the illness in the state.
The first death in California related to coronavirus was confirmed Wednesday, while another fatality in Washington brought that state's death toll to 10.
Congressional leaders have agreed on an $8 billion emergency funding package to help fight the coronavirus that is headed to the House.
The virus is now spreading more rapidly outside China, where the epidemic started, with mainland China recording just 119 new confirmed cases while hundreds of cases were reported globally.
South Korea alone recorded an additional 516 cases of coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the total to 5,328 confirmed cases, the largest outbreak outside of mainland China.
Governments around the world are introducing a range of measures to stop the spread of the disease. In Italy, where there have been more than 2,000 cases, all schools and colleges are shut for 10 days.
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Czech Republic confirms first three cases of coronavirus
The Czech Republic has confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus, with all the patients having traveled from northern Italy, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Sunday.
Health officials said the patients — two Czechs and an American student who studied in Milan — showed mild symptoms. Two were in Prague and the third in the city of Usti nad Labem, 56 miles north of the capital.
Vojtech warned against unnecessary travel to regions in northern Italy that have seen the highest number of cases in Europe.
"We ask everyone to very seriously consider not traveling to those (affected) regions for holiday or ski trips unless necessary, because the danger exists," Vojtech told a televised news briefing.
The Czech Republic is the first of its central European neighbors to report coronavirus cases.
Scotland reports first case of coronavirus
Scotland reported its first case of coronavirus on Sunday after a resident in the country’s Tayside region tested positive, officials said.
In a statement, Scotland's government said the patient had recently traveled to Northern Italy, a region that has been hit hard by the virus. The country has reported more than 1,100 confirmed cases and 29 deaths.
The Scottish resident was isolated and began receiving treatment while investigators worked to trace their contacts, the statement said. Additional information about the patient's condition wasn't immediately available.
Sunday’s test result was sent to a public health lab in England for additional confirmation.
Democrats, Trump officials clash over coronavirus response
Top White House officials and Democrats offered conflicting comments on Sunday over the administration's response to coronavirus.
Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday defended the administration's handling of the outbreak and accused Democrats of politicizing the outbreak. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blasted Trump for rallying supporters in South Carolina as his administration is faced with the coronavirus crisis.
"How pathetic it is that in the midst of an international health care crisis, you got a president running into South Carolina trying to steal some media attention away from Democrats," Sanders said.
Iran deploys thousands of teams to identify infected people, cancels recreational sports
2 more confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state
Two Washington state residents are in critical condition with confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to public health officials.
Both men are King County residents in their 60s and had underlying health conditions, Seattle and King County Public Health announced Sunday. The two cases, which were confirmed by state lab testing, have brought the number of cases in Washington up to six.
A Washington man in his 50s — also with underlying health issues — became the first person in the U.S. to die of COVID-19, the disease associated with coronavirus, officials said Saturday.
Chuck Todd grills Pence on GOP rhetoric around coronavirus
2 people in New York City being tested for coronavirus
Delta suspends flights to Milan until May
Delta Airlines announced Sunday that it would be temporarily suspending service from New York City to Milan, Italy, amid heightened coronavirus concerns.
The last of Delta's daily flights between John F. Kennedy Airport and Milan will depart Monday as the airline said it would be suspending the service until at least the first of May. Delta said that it has already put in place several strategies in response to the outbreak as it works alongside health officials.
Italy has more than 1,000 confirmed cases of the disease and at least 29 deaths as of Sunday.
'This dystopian look': Face masks enter mainstream amid coronavirus worries
People around the world have been given plenty of reasons in the past couple of years to cover up with face masks. In November, India handed out millions of them at schools due to toxic air pollution in the nation’s capital. Hong Kong put in place a ban on masks, which protesters used to counter facial recognition technology.
And most recently, the spread of the new coronavirus has sparked a run on surgical masks, despite their shortcomings in stopping the virus.
“It’s a trend,” one NYU freshman said. “Somehow it makes you look a bit better.”
'SNL' takes on coronavirus and the Democratic presidential candidates
As fears of coronavirus spread, "Saturday Night Live" lightened the moment by imagining what would happen if Democratic candidates for president elbowed into the leadership spotlight during a White House news conference.
It started with Vice President Mike Pence, played by Beck Bennett, speaking about how President Donald Trump's administration, with him in charge of managing the crisis, is tackling the situation.
"We’ve assembled a very experienced team of some of the best people left in government," he says.
