Starbucks, Apple and McDonalds are among the American companies temporarily shuttering stores throughout China as the coronavirus affects thousands within the country.
The state of play: Apple announced Saturday that it is closing all 42 retail stores in China, as well as corporate offices and contact centers through Feb. 9, the Financial Times reports. The company said it hopes to reopen stores "as soon as possible."
A man in his 20s who returned to the U.S. from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has contracted the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted health officials in Boston on Saturday. His is the eighth known case in the U.S.
Details: Rita Nieves, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said officials "are not asking Boston residents to do anything differently" and that "risk to the general public remains low." The man was isolated soon after returning to Massachusetts, and his "few close contacts" are being monitored for symptoms.
States and school districts around the country are passing legislation to allow students to take mental health days as young people struggle with depression and anxiety, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The changes come as the suicide rate among young people continues to rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported suicide was the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-24 in 2017.
Students and staff on college campuses across the country are on edge as rumors swirl surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, The New York Times reports.
Why it matters: University campuses can be breeding grounds for infectious and viral diseases. Illnesses can also spread quickly considering the close proximity in which students reside.
The Food and Drug Administration approved a treatment called Palforzia from Aimmune Therapeutics on Friday that would help treat those with peanut allergies.
Why it matters: Food allergies have been on the rise among children and adults, some with life-threatening conditions that cause an anaphylactic reaction from exposure.
A 7th coronavirus case has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where a man in the San Francisco Bay area became ill after traveling from Wuhan, China back to the U.S., the Santa Clara Health Department said Friday.
The big picture: Federal health officials expect more cases to be confirmed while the CDC continues to test cases and as state health departments remain on high alert. The U.S. on Friday declared a public health emergency and restricted travel based on the new virus's ability to spread from person-to-person.
On Sunday, the United States will deny entry into the country to any foreign national who poses a risk of transmitting the coronavirus, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Friday.
Why it matters: The public health emergency comes with a quarantine for U.S. citizens arriving from Hubei province, and a temporary ban on foreigners without family in the U.S. who have recently visited China.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a 14-day federal quarantine order for 195 U.S. citizens who were evacuated directly from Wuhan, China amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Why it matters: This is the first time the CDC has ordered a quarantine in nearly 50 years. The last time was in the 1960s to protect against smallpox. CDC officials emphasized this is purely preventative since the U.S. citizens were directly exposed to the coronavirus in Wuhan.
Several airlines — including major U.S. carriers like Delta, United and American — are suspending some or all of their China flights through February because of coronavirus fears.
The big picture: Airlines said demand for flights to China has plummeted due to the virus' spread. Large companies in other industries — from technology to packaged food — have suspended business trips, CNBC reports.
A San Diego Superior Court judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $344 million for misrepresenting the risks of vaginal-mesh implants, Bloomberg reports.
The big picture: The fine isn't very large in the grand scheme of things, and although California was only the first state to bring its claims against J&J to trial, the company previously resolved similar claims by 41 other states for $117 million.
Opioid deaths in the U.S. decreased in 2018 after years of steady increases, while the U.S. life expectancy ticked up for the first time in four years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.
Between the lines: The effort to combat the opioid epidemic appears to be working, although the problem is far from solved.
Facebook said Thursday it will take further steps to ensure its social network is home to accurate information about the fast-spreading novel coronavirus.
Approximately 6,000 Carnival cruise ship travelers have been released after a passenger from Macau experienced possible coronavirus symptoms but tested negative, the BBC reports.
The state of play: Officials feared the ship would be the first impacted by the coronavirus spread. Diseases can quickly flourish among cruise ship passengers because so many people are in such close proximity to each other.
