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Chicago futures operator CME Group is closing its trading floors in Chicago at the end of the day Friday, with no set date for re-opening.



The company said in a statement it is taking the action as a “precaution to reduce large gatherings that can contribute to the spread of coronavirus, in line with the advice of medical professionals.” No cases have been reported from the trading floor or in the Chicago Board of Trade building downtown where the floors are located, the company said.

Trading of the company’s futures products will continue electronically, and may hasten what has been a move over the past several years to shift more trading to traders' computer screens.

"The reopening of the trading floor will be evaluated as more medical guidance on the coronavirus becomes available," the company said.

CME Group said its downtown headquarters just a few blocks away will remain open.

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India suspended most visas in a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus as the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

All existing visas -- except permissions given for diplomatic, official, United Nations, other international organizations, employment and project visas -- will be suspended until April 15, according to a government statement Wednesday.

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Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
And March Madness (the NCAA basketball playoff) has been canceled.

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Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
Disneyland in California is closing. This will be the fourth time in the history of the park (Kennedy's assassination, the Northridge earthquake, and 9/11).

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Huddled with donors at his private Mar-a-Lago Club on Friday, President Trump told supporters that he was intent on protecting the cruise industry from the fallout of the coronavirus crisis — even as top health officials and other key advisers were privately pushing him to keep the public off the ships.

Two days later, the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned U.S. citizens, particularly those with medical issues, not to travel by cruise ship, sending the industry into a panic, according to people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.

The administration’s whipsawing posture has led to an intensive behind-the-scenes lobbying effort by cruise executives to mitigate the financial fallout from the virus, which has infected passengers and crew members on at least two Carnival-owned Princess Cruise ships.

The coming days will test the clout of the industry, which has long-standing connections to Trump, including through Carnival Corp. chairman Micky Arison, a friend whose company helped sponsor Trump’s reality show franchise “The Apprentice” over the years.

The cruise lines have raced to get ahead of further government action, voluntarily suspending a small number of voyages this week and pitching to the White House a plan to safeguard passengers.

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Originally posted by jon-nyc:
You guys all realize these closures are really until the end of the year. They just don't know it yet. And those that do know it don't want to freak everyone out.