The Latest: Ships going to Honolulu won’t let off passengers

Medics and paramedics from China arrive at the Malpensa airport of Milan, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Some 37 between doctors and paramedics were sent along with some 20 tons of equipment, and will be deployed to different hospitals in Italy's most affected area. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Medics and paramedics from China arrive at the Malpensa airport of Milan, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Some 37 between doctors and paramedics were sent along with some 20 tons of equipment, and will be deployed to different hospitals in Italy's most affected area. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 218,000 people and killed more than 8,800. The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems. More than 84,000 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.

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Two cruise ships that were turned away by other ports are headed to Honolulu, but passengers won’t be allowed to disembark.

Officials say there are no cases of coronavirus on either vessel.

It was previously planned that passengers would disembark in Honolulu. Officials now say the ships will only refuel and resupply and then continue on to another destination. Holland America Line’s Maasdam is scheduled to arrive Friday. The Norwegian Jewel is scheduled to arrive Sunday.

New measures to seal borders to reduce the spread of coronavirus have left some cruise ships stranded.

The cruise lines didn’t immediately comment on Hawaii’s reversal.

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First lady Melania Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci will take part in public service messages aimed at informing Americans about how to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus.

The White House said Wednesday it’s joining with major media companies, digital platforms and the Ad Council to share “accurate and timely information directly to the American people” about social distancing, hygiene and mental health.

The announcements, known as PSAs, will direct people to coronavirus.gov, a centralized source of updated information on the crisis, according to a White House statement.

Fauci is the government’s top infectious disease expert. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams and other administration officials also will participate.

Media outlets are donating air time, with all content coordinated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown directed medical facilities to halt all non-emergency procedures to cope with the surge in demand for equipment.

The directive Wednesday afternoon applies to hospitals, outpatient clinics, and health care providers, including veterinarians and dentists.

It’s meant to preserve personal protective equipment, such as surgical masks, gowns, and gloves, for health care workers treating COVID-19 patients.

“If we do not take immediate action, the surge in demand in our hospitals for masks, gowns, and gloves will quickly outstrip the limited supplies they have available, Brown said. “We cannot let that happen.”

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The government of El Salvador has announced it will no longer receive deportation flights from the United States or Mexico “until further notice,” to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The country’s immigration office said Wednesday that it accepted the last flight of deported Salvadorans from the United States on Monday.

El Salvador’s international airport closed to all but humanitarian and cargo flights on Tuesday, for 15 days.

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South Korea on Thursday reported 152 additional cases of the new coronavirus, raising the total to 8,565.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fatalities from the coronavirus increased by seven to 91.

The infections have been clustered around the southeastern city of Daegu, but an increase in cases around Seoul has raised concerns.

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China’s health ministry says the virus epicenter of Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province have reported no new cases.

The ministry said Thursday that results over the past 24 hours showed 34 new cases, all detected in people arriving from abroad.

Eight new deaths were reported, all in Wuhan.

Wuhan at the peak reported thousands of new cases of coronavirus infection daily, overwhelming its health care system.

Of those new cases of infection, 21 were in Beijing, nine in the southern manufacturing powerhouse of Guangdong, two in Shanghai and one each in coastal Zhejiang and Heilongjing in the far northeast.

China has only just begun loosening draconian travel restrictions within the country, but has stepped-up 14-day quarantine regulations on those arriving in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere from overseas, amid expectations of a new influx of students and others returning home.

China has now recorded a total of 80,928 confirmed virus cases with 3,245 deaths. Another 70,420 people have been released from hospital and 7,263 remain in treatment.

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Washington, D.C., has announced eight new identified cases of the COVID-19, bringing the total to 39.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a state of emergency and closed all schools through the end of the month. The popular Cherry Blossom Festival has been postponed, White House and Capitol tours have been cancelled and the National Zoo, Smithsonian museum network and Kennedy Center have closed.

Washington’s tally doesn’t include people who may have been infected in Washington but live in nearby northern Virginia or southern Maryland.

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Panama has declared a nightime, nationwide curfew starting immediately to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Security Minister Juan Pino said the curfew would be in effect from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., with exceptions only for police, firefighters, health service, canal, migration and sanitation employees. Pino said violating the curfew would be punishable by fines or jail terms.

Panama now has 109 coronavirus cases and one death. Neighboring Costa Rica announced its first death from coronavirus, an 87-year-old man, and 69 total cases.

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Between 400 and 500 nonresidents are stranded in Panama after attending a music festival, with many of them being quarantined at the concert site near the Caribbean beach of Playa Chiquita.

Organizer James Baker of Manchester, England said those attending the event, called Tribal Gathering, included people from Spain, Canada, the United States, Denmark, France, Great Britain, and Hungary, as well as Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile and Mexico.

Baker said authorities in Panama had instituted a requirement that all those seeking to leave had to prove they had been in Panama for at least 14 days amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Most of the estimated 2,300 attendees at the event, which ran from Feb. 29 to March 15, have been able to leave.

But Baker said Wednesday that many of the remaining festival goers and staff may need help getting back to their home countries due to flight and transport cancellations related to the outbreak

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Miami Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart has become the first known member of Congress to test positive for the new coronavirus.

Diaz-Balart entered self-quarantine in Washington Friday, according to a statement. He said he decided not to return to South Florida because his wife has a pre-existing medical condition. Diaz-Balart developed symptoms, including a fever and headache, on Saturday. He learned Wednesday that he had tested postive for the COVID-19 virus.

“I want everyone to know that I am feeling much better,” Diaz-Balart said in a statement Wednesday. “However, it is important that everyone take this extremely seriously and follow CDC guidelines in order to avoid getting sick and mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times.”

Other members of Congress, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott, have self-quarantined, but none have reported positive test results. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez tested positive for the virus last week.

Diaz-Balart has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2003.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is scaling back the aggressive operations it launched under President Donald Trump as the country contends with the new coronavirus outbreak.

ICE says that starting Wednesday it is focusing its efforts on tracking down people in the U.S. without legal authorization who pose a risk to public safety or would be subject to mandatory detention on criminal grounds. The agency had been aggressively detaining anyone in the country without authorization as part of stepped up enforcement under the Trump administration.

The agency said in a statement that its investigations unit will focus on public safety and national security. That would include drug and human trafficking as well as anti-gang operations and child exploitation cases.

ICE said the change was temporary and intended to ensure the welfare and safety of the public and its agents.

It will not carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities except in “the most extraordinary circumstances” during the crisis.

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Australia’s largest airline has announced it will suspend all international flights and stand down two-thirds of its 30,000 work force in response to the new coronavirus.

Qantas’ announcement on Thursday follows plans announced on Tuesday to cut 90% of international passenger seats and 60% of domestic capacity.

Qantas said the suspension won’t take effect until late March as the airline repatriates Australians following the government’s advice to its citizens on Wednesday not to travel anywhere overseas.

Qantas subsidiary Jetstar will also suspend all international flights. Jetstar Japan and Jetstar Pacific have already stopped flying while Jetstar Asia will be grounded from March 23.

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Scientists in China are reporting disappointing results from the first study completed on a potential COVID-19 treatment.

A combination of two antiviral drugs that are used now to treat HIV — lopinavir and ritonavir — did not resolve symptoms quicker than usual care did. The study involving 199 hospitalized, severely ill patients was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

However, “intriguing” signs were seen in some other results. There were slightly fewer deaths among those given the drugs but the comparison group that received just usual care also was sicker, making this information hard to interpret, two editors wrote in an editorial in the journal.

Many other medicines are still being tested in various experiments including remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug that has shown some promise against viruses similar to the one causing COVID-19.

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The U.S. Transportation Security Administration now says two screeners at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City have tested positive for the new coronavirus. That brings the total to 11 TSA officers who have tested positive around the country.

TSA announced the two cases at JFK on Wednesday. Both have not been on the job since last week.

The agency earlier reported a positive test by a checked baggage screener at Newark-Liberty International Airport.

The agency has been telling officers who may have come into contacted with an officer who tests positive over the past two weeks to self-isolate.

In addition to JFK and Newark, officers have now tested positive at airports in San Jose, California; Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida; Cleveland and Atlanta.

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Faced with a lengthy shutdown due the coronavirus pandemic, movie theaters are requesting relief from the U.S. government.

The National Association of Theater Owners, the trade group that represents most of the industry’s cinemas, said Wednesday that it’s asking for immediate relief measures for its chains and its 150,000 employees. The theaters are requesting loan guarantees for exhibitors, tax benefits for employees and funds to compensate for lost ticket sales and concessions. NATO said the movie theater industry is “uniquely vulnerable” to the crisis and needs assistance to weather a near total shutdown of two to three months.

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The U.S. State Department says it is halting visa issuance at its embassies and consulates around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement Wednesday came as several lawmakers sought explanations from the department about difficulties some of their constituents overseas are having in getting assistance from embassies and consulates.

The department said in a notice that it was temporarily suspending “routine visa services” for non-U.S. citizens at its overseas diplomatic missions “in most countries.” “Routine visa services will resume as soon as possible but we are unable to provide a specific date at this time,” it said.

The department did not provide a list of affected countries but said visa applicants should check with individual embassies to check on their status.

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says the state will open a temporary 250-bed hospital by Friday on the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem.

Oregon purchased the pop-up hospital several years ago for a crisis situation such as this, she said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Oregon officials are working to identify 1,000 temporary beds around the state and patients in hospitals who do not have the new coronavirus, and who are in recovery from other illnesses and procedures, will start to be moved to those beds, Brown said.

The state has contracted with a private company for 20,000 test kits and the first batch of 5,000 should arrive soon, said Brown’s chief-of-staff, Nic Blosser. The tests will first be used on frontline healthcare workers, first responders and those living in community-style nursing homes.

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.