Northern Irish supermarket prioritizes older shoppers
Read the latest developments in the coronavirus outbreak here
Amazon stops receiving non-essential products from sellers
Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) is suspending sellers from sending non-essential products to its US and UK warehouses until April 5 in the latest move to free up inventory space for much-needed supplies that are in shortage as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
In a note sent to sellers on Tuesday, Amazon said it is seeing increasing online shopping demand from consumers. As its household staples and medical supplies are running out of stock, it will prioritize certain categories in order to "quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers."
Amazon defined five categories as essential products that can continue shipping, including Baby Product, Health & Household, Beauty & Personal Care, Grocery, Industrial & Scientific, Pet Supplies.
Northern Irish supermarket prioritizes older shoppers
A Northern Irish supermarket opened one hour early on Tuesday to allow older customers to shop safely and avoid coronavirus-related panic buying, sparking similar moves south of the border in Ireland.
The west Belfast store of the Iceland chain of supermarkets will continue to open at 0800 GMT each day, reserving the first hour for elderly customers, after worried shoppers began rushing to grocery stores last week jostling to buy essentials that have flown off shelves.
Older shoppers, some with family members to help and one carrying a walking stick, queued up next to each other at the Kennedy shopping center before the shutters came up.
Trump addresses coronavirus' heavy impact on the US economy
President Donald Trump was focused Tuesday on addressing the devastating impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the American economy, meeting with tourism executives and speaking on the phone with restaurant executives, retailers and suppliers.
US businesses large and small are reeling from shutdowns, cancellations and public fear about the virus as the number of cases rises nationwide. The administration is expected to propose a roughly $850 billion emergency economic stimulus to address free-fall, which is roiling financial markets. Stocks moved slightly higher on Wall Street on Tuesday, a day after plunging to their worst loss in more than three decades.
Blood type 'A' more vulnerable to coronavirus: Study
According to a preliminary study of patients in China who contracted the coronavirus, people with blood type A might be more vulnerable to infection by the new virus while those with type O seemingly more resistant.
Chinese medical researchers took blood group patterns of more than 2,000 patients infected with the virus in Wuhan and Shenzhen and compared them to local healthy populations, reported the South China Morning Post.
Australia tells overseas citizens to return before it's too late
Australia advised all its citizens abroad who want to return home to do so immediately because of disruption caused by the coronavirus.
"As more countries close their borders or introduce travel restrictions, overseas travel is becoming more complex and difficult," the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in updated guidance posted on its website on Tuesday.
"You may not be able to return to Australia when you had planned to."
Australia has already urged citizens to refrain from going abroad. The updated advice was issued after Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with state and territory leaders to discuss strengthening restrictions on public gatherings.
No corona impact on Bangladesh-India trade
After the Indian government on March 13 imposed an embargo on Bangladeshi citizens travelling to India to prevent the coronavirus outbreak, many Bangladeshis could not go to India for business, travel, treatment and many other purposes.
The travel ban will continue until April 15.
However, imports and exports between the two neighbouring countries have felt no impact yet.
The country's largest land port Benapole is fully operative. Usually, goods carried by 120-150 trucks are exported while goods on 350 400 trucks are imported – it remains the same till date.
Spain's coronavirus cases surpass 10,000, death toll rises to 491
Spain's tally of coronavirus cases surpassed 10,000 on Tuesday and the number of fatalities rose to 491, said Fernando Simon, the head of the country's health emergency center.
He said the number of cases rose to 11,178 on Tuesday up from a previous tally of 9,161 cases on Monday.
WHO confirms two coronavirus cases among its staff
An official from the World Health Organization, the body leading the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, said on Tuesday that two staff members have been confirmed to be infected with coronavirus.
The cases are the first at the Geneva-based organisation and follow a confirmed case at the UN office in Geneva as well one at the World Trade Organization last week.
Sobering Covid-19 study prompted Britain to toughen its approach
A piece of research that helped convince the British government to impose more stringent measures to contain Covid-19 painted a worst case picture of hundreds of thousands of deaths and a health service overwhelmed with severely sick patients.
In a sharp toughening of Britain's approach to the outbreak on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson closed down social life in the world's fifth largest economy and advised those over 70 with underlying health problems to isolate.
Malaysia reports its first two coronavirus deaths
Malaysia has reported its first two deaths from the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday.
The number of confirmed cases reached 673 in the country, reports The Strait Times.
Europe plans full border closure to fight coronavirus
The European Union is planning to close its border to all non-essential travel throughout Europe's Schengen free-travel zone in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would ask leaders to implement the measures in a Tuesday vote, reports BBC.
Hundreds of prisoners’ escape Brazil jails ahead of coronavirus lockdown
Hundreds of prisoners have broken out of four Brazilian jails, the day before their release due to be suspended over the coronavirus outbreak, Sao Paulo state prison authorities and local media reported.
The Sao Paulo state prison authority said it could not say how many inmates had escaped as it was "still tallying the exact number of fugitives." Local media reported that as many as 1,000 had fled from four jails - Mongaguá, Tremembé, Porto Feliz and Mirandópolis - ahead of the lockdown.
Pakistan reports first coronavirus death in Punjab
Pakistan on Tuesday reported the first death of a patient infected with coronavirus, reports Gulf News.
The patient was under treatment at a hospital in Lahore, Punjab, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.
According to the ministry, the patient had recently returned from Iran was brought in a critical condition to Mayo hospital on Monday night.
There are a total of 194 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Pakistan on Tuesday as the country has witnessed a rapid surge in the number of infected patients during the last two days.
Pakistan coronavirus cases spike after quarantine errors
Pakistan reported the number of confirmed cases had more than doubled for a second consecutive day, reaching 187.
Officials said the jump was largely due to errors in testing and quarantine of travellers who recently returned from Iran through a border crossing in Balochistan province.
"If the arrangements were better we could have saved these people from the virus," Saeed Ghani, a minister in the provincial Sindh government where many of the cases were detected, told a television channel on Monday night.
Parisians flee to the countryside ahead of coronavirus lockdown
Parisians thronged the city's rail stations and took to the highway early on Tuesday to escape the French capital before a lockdown imposed to slow the rate of coronavirus contagion kicked in at midday.
The Paris exodus drew dismay from provincial France, where many fear that city-dwellers will bring the virus with them and accelerate its spread.
With borders and businesses closing, world hunkers down
With borders slamming shut, schools and businesses closing and and increasingly drastic restrictions on movement, tens of millions of people were hunkered down Tuesday, heeding government calls to isolate themselves and slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
From Southeast Asia to Europe to the Americas, people found their lives upended by lockdowns and social distancing.
German institute: Strict steps needed to avoid millions of coronavirus cases
Without the strict social distancing measures announced on Monday, Germany could face millions of coronavirus cases, the Robert Koch public health agency president said on Tuesday.
"We want to avoid that," he said, adding the institute was raising the risk level in Germany to "high". He also said hospitals would have to at least double their intensive care capacity as one in five cases was serious.
"We do not yet know what the death rate will look like in the end," he told reporters. The institute's researchers expected it would take some two years for the pandemic to run its course, he added.
Doctor who treated India’s 1st patient to die of Covid-19 tests positive
A doctor, who treated the 76-year-old man who died of the novel coronavirus in Karnataka's Kalburgi, has tested positive for the virus, news agency ANI reported on Tuesday.
India had reported its first case of coronavirus death after the man from Kalburgi, who had returned from Saudi Arabia, succumbed to the illness on March 12.
Indonesian president admits he suppressed data on coronavirus spread
Indonesia's President has admitted that he deliberately held back correct information about the spread of coronavirus to prevent the public from panicking.
This confession came from Joko Widodo when one of his cabinet members, the transport minister was found positive of coronavirus, reports The Telegraph.
According to the Jakarta Post, "We did not deliver certain information to the public because we did not want to stir panic. We have worked hard to overcome this since the novel coronavirus outbreak can happen regardless of the country border," the president said.
Sri Lanka bans all incoming flights for two weeks to combat coronavirus
Sri Lanka said on Tuesday said it will ban all incoming flights for two weeks to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Flights already in the air will be allowed to land and passengers to disembark, said Mohan Samaranayake, a spokesman for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
'Virus at Iran's gates': How Tehran failed to stop outbreak
Appearing before the cameras coughing and sweating profusely, the man leading Iran's response to the new coronavirus outbreak promised it was of no danger to his country.
"Quarantines belong to the Stone Age," Iraj Harirchi insisted.
A day later, he himself would be in quarantine from the virus.
Spanish football coach dies of coronavirus
A 21-year-old Spanish football coach has died of coronavirus.
After arriving at the hospital, doctors identified the deadly blood cancer. "He would have survived if he was not suffering from the pre-existing condition," according to the doctors, reported New York Post.
Francisco Garcia who managed the junior team of Malaga-based club Atletico Portada Alta, was rushed to hospital with severe symptoms of the virus, reported New York Post.
Celebrities who have tested positive for coronavirus
A growing number of celebrities and athletes have been infected with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Idris Elba and 'Game of Thrones' star Kristofer Hivju both confirmed they tested positive for coronavirus on March 16, urging their millions of followers to keep calm and carry on while abiding by health officials' plan to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
Last week, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were among the first celebrities to go public with their diagnosis. "Thanks to the Helpers," the Oscar winner shared on Twitter, referencing a classic Mister Rogers quote, who he brought to life in the 2019 film 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'. "Let's take care of ourselves and each other."
Airbus to suspend production in France and Spain
Airbus is stopping production and assembly activities at its plants in France and Spain for the next four days as governments there implement new measures to restrict movements and fight the coronavirus outbreak, the planemaker said today.
The move appears to mark the most serious across-the-board disruption in Airbus production since a strike at then British partner BAE Systems in 1989, apart from problems with individual programmes like the Airbus A380 or A400M military aircraft. Reuters reported.
Germany sets aside 50 million euros to repatriate stranded tourists
Germany is making 50 million euros (45.41 million pounds) available to repatriate German tourists stranded around the world by the coronavirus-induced collapse in air transport, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said today.
Repatriation flights were planned for tourists now stranded in Morocco, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and the Maldives, he said, adding that the government expected worldwide air passenger volumes to stay at a very low level for the foreseeable future, Reuters reported.
"We don't want to see further tourists stranded abroad," he said. "For this reason we have decided to issue a warning against all touristic trips abroad. Please stay at home."
France, Italy, Spain curb trading to contain sell-off
France, Italy and Spain are introducing curbs on stock market trading on Tuesday, banning short-selling to shield some of Europe’s biggest companies from a sell-off triggered by the coronavirus.
France is banning short-selling on 92 stocks, the financial markets authority said as it tries to calm market turmoil. Belgium also took a similar step, Reuters reported.
On March 16, stock market regulators in the two European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, Italy and Spain, imposed bans on short-selling.
France’s Autorite des Marches Financiers said in a statement that it was closely monitoring the situation on the markets in relation with other regulators.
Earlier, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said it was important to keep financial markets open in order for companies to be correctly valued and said that other things, such as banning short-selling, could be done before closing markets.
Iran temporarily frees 85,000 prisoners, including political ones
Iran has temporarily freed about 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, a spokesman for its judiciary said today, in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
"Some 50% of those released are security-related prisoners ... Also in the jails we have taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak," said Gholamhossein Esmaili, Reuters reported.
Egypt reports largest single-day spike in new cases
Egypt has reported its largest spike in daily cases, with 40 more people testing positive and two more deaths, the health ministry announced on March 16 night.
The first death was a 50-year-old Egyptian man, who died in the city of Dakahlia after coming in contact with a woman who last week also died of the virus, CNN reported.
The man’s family are currently under quarantine after testing positive for the virus, the health ministry said.
Last week, dozens of tourists were quarantined on a cruise boat, also in Luxor, after testing positive for the virus.
Egypt now has 166 coronavirus cases with a total of four deaths, the health ministry said.
Pakistan coronavirus cases triple in two days
Pakistan confirmed today that the country has 184 cases of the coronavirus – more than three times the number reported just two days ago.
On March 15, the national tally was 53 cases. And just the day before that, the tally was 28, CNN reported.
Many of the newly reported cases in these recent spikes have come from pilgrims who were retested in their home districts after already being quarantined two weeks ago at the Iran-Pakistan border.
Pakistan has shut down schools, cinemas, and courts, but public transportation and places of business still remain largely operational. On March 13, Pakistan also shut its borders with Iran and Afghanistan.
G7 supports 'complete' Olympics Games: Japan PM
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today that Group of Seven leaders had agreed to support a “complete” Olympics, but dodged questions about whether any of the leaders had brought up the possibility of postponement.
His comments come as concerns mount about whether the Games can proceed as planned now that the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic has brought business and social activity in many countries to a standstill and panic to financial markets, Reuters reported.
A fresh domestic poll showed most Japanese believe the Games should be postponed.
In a unprecedented meeting with other G7 leaders by videoconference to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, Abe said he had told them: “We are doing everything in our power to prepare (for the Games), and we want to aim for a complete event as proof that mankind can defeat the new coronavirus.”
At the G7 video conference, leaders committed to doing “whatever is necessary” to battle the coronavirus pandemic and to work together more closely to protect public health, jobs and growth, and issued a statement promising to address the health and economic risks.
China tightens checks on foreigners as imported coronavirus cases now pose biggest threat
China reported another rise in new coronavirus cases on Tuesday as infections from abroad outnumbered cases of local transmission for a fourth consecutive day, prompting some parts of the country to tighten monitoring of foreign travellers.
Mainland China had 21 new confirmed cases on Monday, the National Health Commission said, up from 16 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 20 involved infected travellers from abroad, Reuters reported.
In contrast, mainland China only had one case of locally transmitted infection on Monday, in Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province where the flu-like disease appeared in humans late last year.
The capital Beijing accounted for nine of the imported new cases even as it imposed tough restrictions to screen out and isolate infections coming from abroad.
Beijing Capital International Airport has cordoned off a special zone for all international flights, with all disembarking passengers required to submit to health checks.
Transit passengers were sent to their connecting flights, while non-transit passengers were shuttled to a nearby processing venue from which they were dispatched to designated places for compulsory 14-day quarantine.
Beijing also closed its new Daxing airport to international flights and redirected them to the older Capital International Airport in the northeast of the city, in order to contain any new infections in one facility.
In the central city of Wuhan officials said they would begin requiring overseas arrivals to undergo 14-day quarantine at a central location at the people's own cost, emulating Beijing.
Other cities in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, are doing the same, as is Anhui province.
Philippines quarantines island of 57 million people
President Rodrigo Duterte put the whole Philippine island of Luzon under an "enhanced community quarantine" until 12 April to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
In a televised public address on Monday, Duterte stated that public travel would be limited to purchasing only rice, medication and other vital things required for survival, Al Jazeera reported.
"Only establishments that provide services like food and medicine shall be open," said Duterte.
The president has ordered the departments of labour and social services to introduce legislation to alleviate the lockout pressure on small enterprise and wage-earners. He also encouraged companies to free their workers for the obligatory 13 month salary.
Vietnam to halt issue of all visas in coronavirus battle
Vietnam will suspend the issue of new visas for all foreign nationals to curb the spread of coronavirus in the Southeast Asian nation, state media said roday.
Weeks after declaring the recovery of all 16 of its virus sufferers, Vietnam has confirmed 61 infections, but no deaths, after authorities announced a surge in infections from overseas, Reuters reported.
"The government sees the visa suspension policy as an effective measure to constrain the rapid spread of the virus, given many countries are now at high risk of infection," the state-run Nhan Dan newspaper said.
"It's temporary. The restriction will be in place for 15 to 30 days," it added, without saying when the ban would take effect.
Hanoi has denied entry to visitors from Europe's Schengen visa-free area and Britain from Sunday, and ordered mandatory quarantine and testing for all arrivals from virus-hit areas.
Schools stayed shut nationwide today. Authorities have ordered the closure of cinemas, clubs and bars, massage parlours, karaoke lounges and online game centres in urban areas until the end of March.
The government has advised Vietnamese to call off large gatherings and ordered them to wear masks in public places.
Cambodia reports 12 new cases of coronavirus, bringing total to 24
Cambodia reported 12 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, doubling its tally to 24.
Of the new cases, 11 were people who had travelled to Malaysia for a religious event at a mosque, a statement from the Ministry of Health said, Reuters reported.
Two others who had travelled to the same ceremony had tested positive for the virus in Cambodia over the weekend.
Venezuela's to implement nationwide quarantine
Venezuela will implement a nationwide quarantine after detecting 16 new cases of the novel coronavirus on March 16, President Nicolas Maduro said, adding that the total number of cases in the South American country has risen to 33.
"It is necessary, it is indispensable, it is the response," Maduro said in an address on state television. "The crude crisis, crisis, crisis is just starting," Reuters reported.
The country on MArch 16 had begun a quarantine in a handful of states, which Maduro said had been successful.
But many across the economic crisis-stricken nation went out anyway, saying they could not afford not to work as the once-prosperous OPEC nation suffers a crippling economic crisis.
Maduro added that the country would be receiving shipments of medicine from Cuba and protective gear and "thousands" of test kits from China. He said the government would be announcing benefits for citizens, without providing details.
The collapse of oil prices in the past week, due to a drop in demand related to coronavirus as well as a price war between top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia, threatens to aggravate the six-year recession in Venezuela's oil-dependent economy.
Maduro said that at current oil prices, the value of a barrel of Venezuelan oil was below the cost of production. He said he had met with representatives of a leading private sector industry association on Monday.
"We need to guarantee the functioning of the economy during the quarantine," Maduro said.
Kyrgyzstan closes borders over coronavirus
Kyrgyzstan has banned entry to all foreigners to safeguard against a coronavirus, Deputy Prime Minister Altynai Omurbekova said today.
Kyrgyzstan has reported no virus cases on its soil, although all its neighbours, except one, have infections, Reuters reported.
Greece to shut shops, quarantine all arrivals from abroad
Greece announced today it will shut all shops apart from supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, petrol stations and food delivery services, and put anyone arriving from abroad into quarantine for two weeks, to fight the coronavirus. Retail stores will begin closing from March 18.
Greece had already cancelled mass gatherings and closed bars, restaurants, playgrounds and gyms. So far Greece has reported 352 confirmed cases of infections and four fatalities, a rise of 21 people in 24 hours. Health authorities expect the number of infections to rise, Reuters reported.
As an added measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus, church services will be suspended, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Twitter late on Monday. Churches will remain open only for individual prayers.
"Protecting public health requires clear decisions. Church service of any creed and religion will be suspended," he said.
The 14 day quarantine would apply to anyone entering Greece, regardless of nationality, government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni told reporters. Athens has also banned passenger ships from Italy and barred cruise ships from docking at Greek ports.
Hong Kong to quarantine all people entering the city from March 19
Hong Kong will quarantine for 14 days all people entering the Chinese-ruled city starting midnight on March 19 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Asian financial hub's leader Carrie Lam said today.
The government also advised its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel, Reuters reported.
Four of the 157 confirmed coronavirus patients in Hong Kong have died. The majority of the recent cases have been imported.
South Korea, Japan expand travel restrictions
South Korea said today it plans to tighten border checks for all arrivals from overseas to prevent new cases of coronavirus coming into the country at a time when domestically transmitted infections are subsiding.
The stricter border checks for all arrivals will start on March 19, Reuters reported.
"We've assessed that there's a need for universal special entry procedures for all arrivals, given rapid increases in new cases not only in Europe but also in the United States and Asia in the wake of the pandemic", Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told in a briefing.
In Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also raised its outbound travel advisories for several European countries amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, CNN reported.
The highest warning, which advises citizens not to travel, has been issued for all of Iceland, as well as some provinces of Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
The ministry currently also advises its citizens not to make non-essential trips to other continental European countries.
India's Taj Mahal closed over coronavirus fears
India closed the Taj Mahal, its top tourist site, and dozens of other protected monuments and museums across the country including the Ajanta and Ellora caves and religious sites such as the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai.
The moves, announced late on March 16, come just days after authorities in the city shut down schools, cinemas, malls, gyms and banned mass gatherings, Reuters reported.
The financial hub of Mumbai also ordered offices providing non-essential services to function at 50% staffing levels as efforts to control the spread of coronavirus in South Asia ramped up.
Facebook to send content review contract workers home amid virus concerns
Facebook Inc said it would work with its partners to send home all contract workers who review content until further notice, as public health concerns due to the coronavirus outbreak rapidly increases.
Facebook will ensure that all contract workers will be paid during this time, the company said in a statement on March 16, Reuters reported.
"With fewer people available for human review we'll continue to prioritize imminent harm and increase our reliance on proactive detection in other areas to remove violating content," it said here
Australia considers tougher movement restrictions to combat coronavirus
Australia is considering tougher restrictions on public gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the Sydney Opera House closed its doors, national airline Qantas slashed its international flight capacity and courts suspended hearings.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will meet with the newly formed national cabinet, an emergency response team that includes state leaders and senior medical officials, by video link later on Tuesday amid concerns the virus spread has picked up pace, Reuters reported.
Several state leaders are pushing for a ban on social gatherings to extend to any event with more than 100 people, an order that would be much tighter than the 500 person maximum announced by the government on Monday.
Morrison also announced on March 16 that anyone arriving in Australia from overseas would be required to self-isolate for 14 days, but he stopped short of taking tougher measures like closing schools or imposing curfews.
Compared to other countries, Australia has so far experienced relatively low exposure to the coronavirus, with around 400 cases and five deaths.
However, officials are growing increasingly concerned about exponential growth in the number of cases. New South Wales, the country's most populous state, on Tuesday recorded its highest one-day rise in the number of infections so far.
Among the latest event cancellations were Australian Fashion Week, the industry's premier event, music festival Splendour in the Grass, all Cricket Australia matches and the World Surf League. The High Court of Australia suspended sittings.
Several states and territories cancelled ceremonies and marches planned for Anzac Day in April, a national day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders who served during war time, which is a major event on the country's cultural calendar.
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the government planned to do "everything we possibly can" to help tourism businesses and left open the possibility of a bailout for Qantas Airways Ltd and rival Virgin Australia Holdings
Qantas said today it was cutting international capacity by around 90% until at least the end of May. Virgin announced deep capacity cuts last week.
The tourism sector accounts for more than 3% of Australia's A$1.95 trillion (970.95 billion pounds) economy and global travel restrictions are expected to put a major dent in the average 9 million foreigners who visit the country annually.
South Korea reports fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases for a third day
South Korea reported 84 new coronavirus cases today, marking a third day in a row that the county has reported fewer than 100 new infections amid growing hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be easing.
The new numbers are well below a February 29 peak of 909, and bring the country’s total infections to 8,320, Reuters reported.
The death toll rose by two to 81, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Another 264 patients were released after recovering, bringing the total to 1,401, it added.
President Moon Jae-in has said he was increasingly confident South Korea would overcome the virus as the rate of new cases continued to drop, although authorities noted another large cluster had emerged in the greater Seoul area.
Annual Met Gala event postponed indefinitely
The Met Gala, one of the biggest nights on the fashion calendar, will not be held on May 4, 2020.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that the Met Gala has been postponed indefinitely, CNN reported.
The Museum will remain closed through April 4.
The news follows a wave of canceled and postponed cultural events around the world due to coronavirus.
The red carpet event, hosted by Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, is a celebrity-packed fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since 2005, the event has been held, without fail, on the first Monday in May -- it also marks the launch of its spring exhibition.