This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
- Global cases: More than 2.8 million
- Global deaths: At least 197,000
- U.S. cases: More than 905,000
- U.S. deaths: At least 51,000
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
9:20 am: How automakers plan to reopen their US plants
Walking into an auto parts plant in suburban Detroit, General Motors employees are instructed to stand at least six feet apart and go through a health screening that includes a temperature check. They also sanitize their hands and put on a face mask and safety glasses.
It’s a far different process than how the former transmission facility, which GM decommissioned last year, used to operate with hundreds of employees freely entering and exiting the facility all at once.
As automakers wrestle with how to open their production facilities safely, timing is contentious.
UAW President Rory Gamble on Thursday said that the union believes restarting production in early-May is “too soon and too risky” for its members. Read the full story of how automakers plan to open their U.S. plants here. —Michael Wayland
8:55 am: Zillow CEO will allow his employees to work from home all year
Rich Barton, CEO and cofounder of online real estate service Zillow, told his employees on Friday that they can work from home through 2020.
“My personal opinions about WFH have been turned upside down over the past 2 months. I expect this will have a lasting influence on the future of work … and home,” the internet entrepreneur said in a verified tweet early Saturday morning.
Many nonessential workers around the country have been doing their jobs remotely for weeks, often while homeschooling and caring for their children, and about a quarter of them say they want to continue working from home at least part-time after the pandemic ends. —Elisabeth Butler Cordova
8:30 am: Poland to reopen outdoor sports fields as it eases restrictions
Poland plans to reopen outdoor sports areas on May 4 and will allow top league football matches to be played at the end of next month, as part of an easing of restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Poland started relaxing some of the curbs earlier in April, saying they were costly for the economy. It has reopened forests and parks and eased rules on the number of customers in shops.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference on Saturday that the next stage of easing sport restrictions would include reopening indoor sports halls, followed by swimming pools and fitness clubs. —Reuters
6:30 am: ‘No evidence’ that recovered patients cannot be reinfected
“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.”
That’s the warning from the Word Health Organization in a new scientific brief. It comes in direct response to some governments suggesting that the detection of antibodies to the virus could serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate.”
“Most of these studies show that people who have recovered from infection have antibodies to the virus. However, some of these people have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in their blood, suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical for recovery,” the statement read. Read the full brief here. — Matt Clinch
6:02 am: Iran death toll rises by 76
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said Saturday that Iran’s death toll had risen by 76, to reach a total of 5,650, according to Reuters.
The total number of people confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus in the country is 89,328, he added. — Matt Clinch
3:51 am: German virus cases rise by 2,055
Source: Business - cnbc.com
