WATCH: We need "a war-like stance" against #coronavirus, Dr. Peter Slavin from @MassGeneralNews says.
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 15, 2020
Fed. gov. should engage in "a Manhattan Project ... to create surgical masks, eye-protection glasses [and] gowns. We wouldn't ... send soldiers into war without helmets." pic.twitter.com/Gu4yV0pfZm
South Africa Declares Disaster (2 p.m. NY)
South Africa declared a national state of disaster, closed 35 ports of entry, banned gatherings of more than 100 people and shut schools starting the middle of this week. Flights will be halted from Italy, Iran, the U.S., U.K. and South Korea, the government said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa in a televised speech discouraged citizens from non-essential domestic travel.
Europe Outpacing China at Peak (1:30 p.m. NY)
Europe is reporting more new cases each day than China did when the disease peaked in that country, the head of the World Health Organization said. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said canceling sporting events can help slow the spread.
The situation will worsen in many countries before it improves, said Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist. While the situation is improving in Asia, countries where the disease has peaked could experience relapses, she said.
Bloomberg: Europe Outpaces China; Nations Shut Borders: Virus Update