MIAMI — The NBA has told players to avoid high-fiving fans and strangers and avoid taking any item for autographs, the league’s latest response in its ongoing monitoring of the coronavirus crisis that has spread to most corners of the planet. The league, in a memo sent to teams on...
Iran's Military on Alert as Virus Kills 77, Sickens Leaders
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran put its armed forces on alert Tuesday to assist health officials in battling the new coronavirus that's killed at least 77 people, an outbreak that has sickened top officials and pushed even its supreme leader into wearing disposable gloves while trying to reassure the nation. Even...
Fed Slashes Interest Rate in Response to Coronavirus Worries
WASHINGTON — In a surprise move, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a sizable half-percentage point Tuesday in an effort to support the economy in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Chairman Jerome Powell noted that the virus “poses evolving risks to economic activity." It was the...
Stock Rise Sharply on Wall Street Following a 7-Day Rout
Stocks rose sharply on Wall Street Monday, clawing back some of the losses they took in a seven-day rout brought on by worries that the coronavirus outbreak will stunt the global economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 700 points, while the benchmark S&P 500 climbed 2.7%, placing...
Virus Reaches New Countries as Crisis Seems to Ease in China
SEOUL, South Korea — The coronavirus appeared for the first time in New York, Moscow and Berlin and clusters of the disease surged around the world, even as new cases in China dropped to their lowest level in six weeks Monday and hundreds of patients were released from hospitals at...
'Amazing Race' Suspends Filming as Virus Precaution
LOS ANGELES — The globe-trotting reality series “The Amazing Race” is taking a breather as a precaution due to the virus outbreak affecting several countries. CBS said in a statement Friday that it had temporarily suspended production and was sending contestants and crew members home as a precautionary measure. Filming...
California Low on Test Kits and Face Masks in Its Battle Against Coronavirus
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that the state is monitoring 8,400 people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus and has only 200 kits for diagnosing it, even as California is addressing the problem with urgency. Other officials said the state may not have enough face masks to protect...
In Scramble to Stop Virus, Testing Raises Tough Questions
NEW YORK — Health officials confronted tough questions and doubts Thursday about testing to intercept the fast-spreading virus, with scrutiny focused on a four-day delay in screening an infected California woman despite her doctors’ early calls to do so. The questions are global: not just who, when and how to...
Stocks Fall on Wall Street, Head for Worst Week Since 2008
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday and were on track for their worst week since October 2008 as the spreading coronavirus threatens to derail the global economy. The virus outbreak has been shutting down industrial centers, emptying shops and severely crimping travel all over the world. More companies...
The City at the Epicenter of California's Coronavirus Mystery
VACAVILLE — Residents of a Northern California community are at the epicenter of what officials are calling a turning point in the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, as investigators try to retrace the steps of a hospitalized woman they believe to be the first in the U.S. to be infected without...