March 24 coronavirus news

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who has been quarantined since coming in contact with Brazilian officials almost two weeks ago and has been working from home, has received negative Covid-19 test results and will be back to work Wednesday, deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere told reporters tonight. 

Fabio Wajngarten, the press secretary for Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month.

Wajngarten was with Bolsonaro on a US trip earlier this month, during which the Brazilian president dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Mayor John Cruikshank said he contracted coronavirus after attending a birthday party at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles.

The disco-themed birthday party, held on March 8, was for former Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Susan Brooks, who is also positive for the virus, according to a statement from the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. Other guests at the party, which was attended by several current and former city officials, have also contracted the virus, according to the statement.

Cruikshank’s wife has not tested positive for the virus, according to city spokesperson Megan Barnes.

City employees, including the mayor pro tem, are self-quarantined out of an abundance of caution. City Hall has been closed since March 14 and is undergoing a deep cleaning, per a directive from City Manager Ara Mihranian.

The Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles is closed until further notice, a club representative told CNN on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did former mayor Susan Brooks.

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that Mayor John Cruikshank contracted coronavirus. His wife has not tested positive for the virus, according to a city spokesperson.

WeWork, the coworking space provider, said it has an obligation to stay open for its members who are working on essential businesses. And while it has implemented a work from home policy for all of its employees, building staffers or “community” team members, will be given bonuses of $100 per day should they choose to come to work. 

"This will go into effect immediately and we will reevaluate this policy again by March 31st,” the memo said.

A Transportation Security Administration officer at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement from the airport.

The officer was last on duty at the airport the morning of March 21, according to the airport. The checkpoint where the agent worked is now closed for cleaning.

At least two dozen TSA screeners around the country have tested positive for Covid-19, according to a count maintained by the agency.

Two infants in San Diego have tested positive for coronavirus, Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten announced at a news conference Tuesday.

This is the first time San Diego County has reported cases of infants less than one year of age, Wooten confirmed.

About 1,900 students returned to Liberty University, a private evangelical Christian university, in Lynchburg, Virginia, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. and other leaders discussed whether to extend spring break and "risk students having a longer time to become exposed to the virus," the school said in a statement. It decided it was safer to bring the students back to campus.

Falwell's decision to bring students back to campus flies against the guidance provided by state officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statewide order Monday to help slow down the spread of coronavirus. The order bans gatherings of more than 10 people and goes into effect just before midnight on Tuesday.

The order also closes nonessential businesses and shuts down all K-12 schools for the rest of the academic year.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters that while he met with President Trump in the Oval Office Tuesday he emphasized the need to be “flexible” in determining a date for a bounce back, following Trump’s comments that he may relax guidelines by Easter Sunday.

He also said that parts of the country may be OK by Easter but added other places that are worsening.

“Obviously no one is going to want to tone down things when you see things going on like in NYC," Fauci said.

He also spoke about the need to get more data through testing.

“We need to put a light on those dark spots," Fauci said.

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New York City will initiate a pilot program of closing two streets per borough for outdoor exercise and for people to get fresh air, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

The city is aiming to get these sites closed to traffic and open to New York City residents by Thursday. Every site will have authorities who will enforce social distancing policies, de Blasio said. 

For now, playgrounds and parks remain open in the city, but the city is working with state and local officials to maximize education and enforcement.

The city will continue to monitor the situation until Saturday evening, at which point they will decide whether residents are adhering to social distancing policies well enough, or if they need to close playgrounds for the foreseeable future.

Citi Bike will also over a free 30-day membership for “essential workers,” de Blasio said.

President Trump said that a “big part” of the stock market and the Dow’s surge today was due to his work to get the country “open as soon possible” as well as the potential deal reached on the Hill.

US stocks ended in the green on Tuesday, recouping all of Monday’s losses as investors grew optimistic about the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis.

“The legislation developed in the Senate is the first step to restoring confidence and stability to America’s economy,” Trump added.

Trump also mistakenly claimed that today was the biggest one day gain for the Dow in history. In reality, it was the biggest one day gain for the Dow since 1933. 

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