All 50 states report coronavirus cases, U.S. death toll crosses 100

Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue closed at day-end Tuesday and won’t reopen for at least a week after Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute ordered the closure of all national parks it oversees, including the one home to the statue.

The move is designed to help contain the spread of the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19. The 125-foot-tall statue last year saw almost 2 million visitors.

Most white-collar auto industry employees by Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors are working from home this week, but Detroit’s Big 3 have formed a task force with the United Auto Workers Union to see if there’s a way also to protect hourly workers from the coronavirus without shutting down their U.S. parts and assembly lines.

With schools closed, major sports leagues suspending their seasons, large gatherings being canceled and the travel industry in freefall, automotive analysts are downgrading their 2020 sales forecasts. Morgan Stanley now anticipates U.S. demand for new cars will plunge to 15.5 million, down from last year’s 17.1 million vehicles.

There are a few, faint bright spots. 

Read the full story here.

SEATTLE — As the death toll from COVID-19 in Washington state reached 54, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure drawing $200 million from the state’s emergency “rainy day” fund for the state’s coronavirus response.

Inslee said the funding bill “is really about protecting what we hold most dear, our lives and the lives of our loved ones.” The measure has $175 million going to the public health system and the remainder to a dedicated unemployment fund for coronavirus impacts. The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

The new spending comes as King County reported three more people have died, bringing its total to 46. Clark County health officials announced their first fatal cases, a husband and wife in their 80s, while Snohomish County said a fifth person has died. One person died in Grant County.

Washington has the highest number of deaths in the U.S., with most being associated with a nursing home in Kirkland. By Tuesday, the number of positive cases topped 1,000.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Tuesday it is suspending in-person services at its field and asylum offices and application support centers over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus illness COVID-19.

The suspension starts Wednesday and will last until at least April 1.

The agency said it will notify those with appointments or naturalization ceremonies that could be impacted, and interviews for those seeking asylum will be rescheduled.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is an agency that deals with immigration to the United States, as well as with those working in the U.S. and fleeing persecution, warfare and other crises. 

A photo of a Minnesota man visiting with his father through the window at an assisted living facility illustrates the lengths some are going to in order to see their loved ones as nursing homes and assisted living facilities implement tougher restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

When Charlie Johnson found out that Whispering Pines, the center where father Bernard Johnson, 88, lives, was going into lockdown, he figured he would speak to him by phone every day.

"I said, 'You know actually, that’s good. I'm glad that they're doing that,'" Johnson told NBC News. 

But he quickly realized that talking by phone was not enough -- he needed to see his dad. So, he set up a chair Sunday outside his father's window. The two spoke by phone while maintaining a version of their usual face-to-face visits, something Charlie Johnson said would keep up for as long as the lockdown lasts. 

"They just had a normal conversation, like the window wasn’t even in between them," said Sandy Hamilton, the Whispering Pines employee who took the photo, which has more than 800,000 shares on Facebook.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday ordered a statewide closure of casinos, table games and gaming machines for 30 days to help fight the spread of the coronavirus illness. They must close at midnight Tuesday.

Sisolak also said that non-essential businesses should close as of noon Wednesday. Grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, hardware stores, gas stations and other similar services will remain open.

"Please, stay home for Nevada," Sisolak urged all residents.

Several Las Vegas casino operators, including MGM Resorts, had already announced that they would shutter properties.

The Culinary Union, which represents casino workers, said they support Sisolak's move.