Portal:Current events/2020 March 18

March 18, 2020 (Wednesday)

Arts and culture

- The Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which is due to be held in the Netherlands, is cancelled for the first time on the event's 64-year history due to the spread of COVID-19. (The Guardian)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
- The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issues a worldwide suspension of all "divine services, events, and rites, with the exception of private prayer in churches that will remain open, until the end of March". (Ecupatria)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- List of events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - The 2020 Glastonbury Festival, scheduled for June 24–28, is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (BBC News)
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - U.S. President Donald Trump suspends all foreclosures and evictions, and invokes the Defense Production Act to address shortages of supplies needed for responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. (NPR) (KTIV)
  - The U.S. Treasury Department says it will ask Congress for $500 billion in direct payouts for taxpayers in order to combat the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Under the current proposal, the payouts will consist of two tiered payments, with the amounts of each based on income level and family size. (NBC News)
  - Unemployment in the United States could reach 20 percent if sufficient action is not taken in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warns. (The Guardian)
  - The U.S. Senate approves the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, an emergency relief aid bill, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The bill will ensure that people who are employed in places with less than 500 employees will receive paid benefits while on leave. It also offers free testing for uninsured people and expands federal funding for medical coverage. (Essence)
  - President Trump signs the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law to provide economic relief to families affected by the coronavirus pandemic. (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Salt Lake City earthquake
- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hits Salt Lake City, Utah, with several aftershocks reported and tens of thousands of residents left without power. The earthquake is the largest in the state since the 1992 St. George earthquake. (CNN)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
  - More than 850 million students are not attending school due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to UNESCO. (Al Arabiya)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in The Gambia
    - The Gambia reports its first confirmed case of COVID-19, a female patient in her 20s who recently returned from the United Kingdom. The patient is in isolation at a clinic in Fajara. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Burkina Faso
    - Burkina Faso reports its first death from COVID-19, a 62-year-old diabetic woman. (Africanews)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti
    - Djibouti reports its first confirmed case of COVID-19, a member of Spain's Special Operations Groups who arrived at Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport on March 14. (CGTN Africa)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
  - Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education says the country's COVID-19 death toll stands at 1,135 following 147 more deaths. The total number of cases rises to 17,361. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - In Italy, the coronavirus death toll rises to 2,978. A total of 35,713 people have the virus in the country. (Haaretz)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - All schools in Scotland and Wales are to close, effective March 19, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Sky News) (BBC News)
    - The COVID-19 death toll in the United Kingdom surpasses 100. (Manchester Evening News)
    - The United Kingdom advises its citizens vacationing in Spain to return home due to the coronavirus pandemic. (The New York Times)
    - The British government’s Department of Health and Social Care confirms an additional 676 cases of COVID-19 within 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, 2020 Spain coronavirus lockdown
    - King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the nation in a special speech for the second time in his reign, and the sixth by a monarch in the democracy’s 40 years. Focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, he gives his appreciation for the work of health personnel and calls for a break in differences, stating that Spaniards can "defeat this crisis" through unification. (El País)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declares a state of emergency, the first in the country in 45 years, due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Politico Europe)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - The United States and Canada suspend nonessential travel between the two countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. (CBC News) (CNN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - The United States reports its 150th death from COVID-19, with a total of at least 9,400 confirmed cases nationwide. (Yeni Şafak)
    - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
      - In the United States, several K–12 school systems will keep their learning facilities physically closed for the remainder of the academic school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in 92,000 American schools across 39 states, and 42.1 million students and their families, transitioning to online learning, while some systems will not calculate grades at all. (Education Week) (CNN)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      - Michigan reports its first death from COVID-19, as the state reaches 110 recorded cases. (WOOD-TV)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New York, COVID-19 pandemic in Washington
      - COVID-19 cases in Washington exceed 1,000. (Fox News)
      - The U.S. Navy will deploy a hospital ship to New York City to aid in the response to COVID-19. (Business Insider)
      - A hospital ship will be deployed to the coast of Washington state by the U.S. Navy to assist in the response to COVID-19. (NPR)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
  - Turkey reports its second death from COVID-19, a 61-year-old male patient, while the number of confirmed cases rises to 191. (Hürriyet Daily News)

Law and crime

The Abortion Legislation Bill 2019 passes its third reading in the New Zealand House of Representatives, legalising abortion in New Zealand. (Stuff)

Politics and elections

2020 United States elections
- 2020 United States House of Representatives elections
  - 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois
    - In a major upset in the 2020 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Illinois, Democrat Marie Newman defeats conservative Democrat Dan Lipinski in Illinois's 3rd congressional district. (The New York Times)
- 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
  - U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders says he will assess his presidential campaign after losing three more states (Florida, Illinois, and Arizona) to former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries of the 2020 presidential election. Biden has 1,181 delegates, while Sanders has 885. The minimum required to win the nomination is 1,991. (The Hill) (CNN)
- 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries, Bill Weld 2020 presidential campaign
  - Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld ends his presidential campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. (The New York Times)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo
  - Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti sacks Interior Minister Agim Veliu over disagreements regarding a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)
- 2020 United States Senate election in Alabama
  - Alabama postpones its Republican Party Senate primary to July 14 due to coronavirus concerns. (The Hill)
- The White House postpones a state visit from Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia due to the coronavirus pandemic. (The Seattle Times)
- U.S. Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida tests positive for COVID-19. (CNN)

Science and technology

2020 in spaceflight
- SpaceX successfully launches and deploys 60 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket, making a record fifth launch, misses the autonomous spaceport drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, crashing in the Atlantic Ocean. (Space)

Sports

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- 2020 AFL season, COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - The 2020 Australian Football League season opener between Richmond Football Club and Carlton Football Club will go on as planned despite the coronavirus outbreak. (BBC News)
2020 NFL season
- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady leaves the team after 20 seasons and, pending contract stipulations, will sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (uSports)