Portal:Current events/2020 March 12

March 12, 2020 (Thursday)

Arts and culture

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Australia and the United States
- American actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson test positive for coronavirus while filming in Australia. (The New York Times)

Business and economy

Black Thursday; Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- All three major US trading indexes fall 7% during early trading, leading to a 15-minute trading halt. (Business Insider)
OMV, the giant Austrian oil and gas concern, is selling $2.3 billion in assets to buy a majority interest in Borealis, which will make it a major player in the production of polymers. (Reuters)

Health and environment

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Poland
  - Poland suspends all schools and universities, closes all theatres, operas, cinemas and museums for two weeks in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Mass events are also banned, and the Polish Football Association announces that the two friendly matches scheduled later this month with Finland and Ukraine will be played behind closed doors. (PAP) (Daily Mail)
  - Poland reports the country's first death from COVID-19 in the city of Poznań. (Reuters)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Greece
  - Greek authorities reports its first death, a 66 year-old pilgrim who visited Israel and Egypt last month. (Reuters)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Cuba
  - Cuba has confirmed its first 3 cases of the coronavirus. (Miami Herald)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Spain
  - Spain's Ministry of Health reports 828 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 36 more deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 84. (News18)
  - Irene Montero, Minister of Equality and Deputy, tested positive for coronavirus. Her domestic partner, Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Pablo Iglesias, self-isolates and all the government undergo tests. The King and Queen of Spain undergo a test after Queen consort Letizia was in contact with Irene Montero on 6 March.(El Mundo)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Lithuania
  - The Vilnius City Municipality announces that from 13 March until the end of the Easter holidays all educational facilities in the city will remain closed to contain the spread of the virus. (LRT)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Ireland
  - The Republic of Ireland suspends all schools, colleges and childcare facilities until March 29 in response to the coronavirus, while indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people are banned until further notice, according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. (The Irish Times)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Austria
  - Austria reports the country's first death from coronavirus, a 69-year-old man in Vienna. (Reuters)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Slovakia
  - Slovakia orders the closure of all its borders to non-residents, while closing all international airports and schools to prevent the spread of the virus. (Reuters)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines
  - President Rodrigo Duterte announces the lockdown of the Philippine capital Manila, halting all travel to and from the city. (National Post)

Sports

Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- The YMCA Short Course Nationals swim meet is canceled in the United States for the first time since 1947. (Swim Swam)
2020 Summer Olympics torch relay
- The Olympic torch relay had been started in Olymoic, Greece. (CTV News)