Coronavirus briefing: Five updates for Tuesday, March 3

Coronavirus has thrust public health officials around the world into “never before seen” territory, the chief of the World Health Organization said.

More than 92,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 3,100 deaths as of March 3, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 100 confirmed cases with nine deaths, all in Washington state.

Coronavirus cases have been reported in Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, Rhode Island, New York, Arizona, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and North Carolina, CNN reports.

The World Health Organization has labeled the coronavirus outbreak a “very high” risk of spread and impact, but has so far stopped short of declaring it a global pandemic.

Here’s the latest coronavirus news for the morning of Tuesday, March 3.

WHO chief says pathogen ‘never before seen’

The head of the World Health Organization said on Twitter the worldwide coronavirus outbreak is something “never before seen.”

“We are in unchartered territory with #COVID19,” wrote Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures.”

Fed cuts rate amid coronavirus fears

The U.S. Federal Reserve announced an emergency drop in interest rates Tuesday morning in response to economic uncertainty over coronavirus, The Washington Post reports.

The Fed cut the benchmark U.S. interest rate by half a percentage point, responding to pressure from President Donald Trump and others to reduce the economic fallout from the global outbreak, which has cut into production and unsettled markets, according to the publication.

Washington firefighters, police quarantined

Twenty-seven firefighters and two police officers are quarantined in Kirkland, Washington, after possible coronavirus exposure, city officials say. Some have shown flu-like symptoms.

A city press release says the fire and police departments remain fully staffed and functional.

“Please note that we are not accepting donations from the public of any kind at this time,” city officials said. “The best way for the community to help is to implement advice from public health and get yourself and your family prepared.”

Also in Washington, the city of Redmond declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 virus outbreak, according to a release from that city.

Twitter urges its employees to work from home

All Twitter employees in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea have been ordered to work remotely, and the San Francisco-based company encouraged all of its 5,000 employees worldwide to stay home, BBC News reported.

Twitter also has banned non-essential business travel and events for its workers and pulled out of the South by Southwest media conference in Austin, Texas, according to the network.

Louvre museum in Paris remains closed

The famed Louvre museum in France remains closed as a result of coronavirus fears in France, where more than 190 people have come down with the virus, Forbes reports.

Staff at the museum, the most-visited in the world, walked out Sunday and Monday under a provision in French law in the event of dangerous conditions, Reuters reported.

Museum employees are refusing to work without disinfectant gel and glass barriers in reception areas, according to the publication.

The Louvre had 10.2 million visitors in 2018, Statista reports.

This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 5:54 AM.