Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

Airlines are cutting flights, theme parks are shutting down, cruises are suspended and and hundreds of large events are being postponed or canceled one after another across the U.S. in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, just as the annual spring break travel tradition kicks off for millions of Americans.

Delta Airlines announced Friday it's cutting passenger capacity by 40% and suspending all flights to continental Europe for the next 30 days. The cut is the largest in Delta's history, including reductions made after the 9/11 terror attacks, according to The Associated Press.

“The speed of the demand fall-off is unlike anything we’ve seen – and we’ve seen a lot in our business,” CEO Ed Bastian told Delta 90,000 employees in a memo.

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(WATCH: Debunking the Coronavirus Rumor Mill)

American Airlines is also suspending service to continental Europe, and United Airlines is cutting its flights between the U.S. and Europe in half, according to the AP. The moves come in the wake of restrictions on travel from Europe announced earlier in the week by President Donald Trump.

By the Numbers

United States:

-The number of infections in the U.S. was at least 1,700 as of Friday morning, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus dashboard.

-At least 41 people have died in five states. There have been 31 deaths in Washington, four in California, two in Florida and one each in Georgia, South Dakota and New Jersey. The Associated Press also reported one death in Kansas Thursday night, the state's first.

-Infections have been confirmed in at least 47 states and Washington D.C.

Worldwide:

-More than 135,000 people had been infected around the globe have been infected. At least 4,720 have died, according to Johns Hopkins.

Latest Developments

United States:

-Friday morning, Trump announced efforts to boost testing in the U.S., including $1.3 million in funding to two companies working to develop rapid tests for the illness, a new FDA hotline for laboratories and a point man to coordinate testing between federal public health agencies, state and local health departments, and public and private laboratories.

-Sea World announced it is closing all of its parks from Monday through the end of the month.

-The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the U.S., announced Friday it is closing schools effective Monday. No re-opening date was set. San Diego schools will also close. Combined, the two districts serve 750,000 students, according to the announcement from LAUSD. At least 9 states including South Dakota, Louisiana, West Virginia, Oregon, Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Kentucky and New Mexico are closing public schools statewide.

-Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an event last week with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, according to the Miami Herald. Suarez was one of several politicians, including President Trump, who were at the event. CNN previously reported that Bolsonaro's press secretary tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. Fabio Wajngarten was with Bolsonaro when he dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Wajngarten posted a picture of himself with Trump on Instagram a few days ago. Trump said Thursday he is "not concerned."

-Sen. Ted Cruz extended his self-quarantine after he was notified that he had contact with a second person who tested positive, CBS News reported. Cruz originally quarantined himself after coming into contact with a person at the Conservative Political Action Conference who tested positive. Now the senator said he interactions with a Spanish official who has tested positive.

-The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., and the Boston Marathon are both on hold. No new date was set for The Masters, but organizers of the Boston Marathon said they hope to reschedule for September. NASCAR also announced its next two races are canceled. The events were the latest in a long-list of sports-related cancelations and postponements.

-As part of the stepped up testing efforts, the FDA is allowing New York state to authorize some public and private labs to test for COVID-19 without federal approval.

-An Australian official who has now tested positive for COVID-19 met last week with U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr and Ivanka Trump, the Times reported.

-Arlington National Cemetery became the latest national institution sidelined by the coronavirus outbreak. Cemetery officials announced the cemetery is closed to visitors as off today. Funerals will go on and family members with passes will still be allowed entry.

-Disney is shutting down its theme parks in Orlando, Paris and Anaheim, California, amid the global pandemic of COVID-19. Universal also is closing its parks in Hollywood and Orlando.

-All Disney cruise departures are suspended as of Saturday.

-Broadway is shuttered after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that the state is banning all gatherings of more than 500 people. He also said the capacity of gatherings up to 500 must be reduced by 50%. "So 50% of your seated capacity is the new capacity for your facility," he said.

Worldwide:

-The Eiffel Tower is closed as of 9 p.m. today, and will remain so indefinitely.

-Germany is pledging more than $600 billion to help businesses affected by the pandemic, the Times reported.

-Four towns in the Spanish region of Catalonia are on lockdown, the first to be ordered in the country. In Madrid, officials declared a state of emergency and ordered that schools and universities close, the number of patrons in bars and restaurants be limited and outside eating and drinking areas be shut down, according to The Guardian.

-Ukraine is closing it borders to foreign citizens for at least two weeks starting Monday. Schools there are closed and large events canceled.

-France, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Turkey and Norway are among the other countries to announce nationwide school closures.

-The Canadian Parliament is shut down until April 20.

-The wife of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tested positive for COVID-19, the BBC reported. The prime minister is quarantining himself at home for 14 days.

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