On Thursday, CentraCare, which operates eight hospitals and 11 senior housing facilities in central Minnesota, announced a ban on visitors to its facilities as it tries to protect its clients from the spread of coronavirus. Other Minnesota facilities also announced restrictions.
Museums, city halls, the NBA season and myriad other events and facilities are being closed, postponed or canceled as the fight against the virus shifts to limiting public gatherings.
The private Catholic middle and high school for boys in Mendota Heights said it will be closed Thursday and Friday after a parent of a student was confirmed to have COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. The person had not been on campus.
The stock market has suffered a relentless, breathtaking drop — moving deeper into bear territory. Stocks fell so fast Thursday morning that it triggered a 15-minute halt in trading for the second time this week.
"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," EU Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.
As many Americans start thinking about what a self-quarantine might look like, author Celeste Headlee has some advice: Put down your phone. Her book explains how we're "overdoing and underliving."
"We will see more cases and things will get worse than they are right now," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
U leaders canceled face-to-face classes until at least the end of the month. Mitchell Hamline Law School and the University of St. Thomas made similar moves Thursday. The Minnesota State system will add a week of suspended classes to spring holiday, effectively creating a two-week break.