In Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker has declared a state of emergency, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases hit 92. Seventy of the cases are linked to a conference held by the biotech firm Biogen in Boston last month.
In Ohio, the campaigns of both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden abandoned plans for competing rallies Tuesday night in Cleveland, after Governor Mike DeWine ordered all major indoor events canceled. In contrast, President Trump announced his next rally for March 19 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — even though his own coronavirus task force encouraged people not to go to large public gatherings.
Across the U.S. about 60 college campuses have canceled in-person classes and asked students to attend online. A number of public schools have closed, affecting tens of thousands of students. The NCAA is preparing to hold some March Madness college basketball games in front of empty sports arenas. Google told all of its 120,000 full-time employees in North America to work from home. Meanwhile, the federal government is developing a plan to have hundreds of thousands of employees telecommute.