LIVE: STL area coronavirus updates, March 31. Here's what we know now

Apr. 1--The coronavirus is affecting all aspects of life around St. Louis.

St. Louis County confirms its third COVID-19 death. Eight employees at Annie Gunn's in Chesterfield contracted COVID-19. The major carrier at Lambert Airport, Southwest, is cutting its flights by 40 percent overall. We look back at a month of the Post-Dispatch front page coverage of the coronavirus crisis. These are Tuesday's developments.

Count of known COVID-19 cases

Numbers updated 8 a.m. Tuesday March 31

Missouri: 14 deaths, 1,327 known cases. The state health department reports 492 cases in St. Louis County and 71 in St. Charles County. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said Monday that there were 150 in St. Louis city.

Illinois: 99 deaths, 5,994 confirmed cases. Cases include 43 in St. Clair County, 16 in Madison County and three in Monroe County.

National: At least 163,575 New York Times database. At least 3,073 patients with the virus have died.

Worldwide: There have been 719,700 confirmed cases worldwide, and 33,673 confirmed deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

7 p.m. -- ST. LOUIS CITY -- In an about-face, Mayor Lyda Krewson late Tuesday announced that City Hall will be closed to the general public until further notice. The mayor's shutdown order, which also covers other city government buildings, follows a renewed call for such action because of the coronavirus threat earlier in the day from Aldermanic President Lewis Reed. Read more.

7 p.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt told Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner in a letter Tuesday that he is "deeply concerned" about people charged with violent felonies being released from jail during the coronavirus pandemic and Gardner's refusal to identify them. Read more.

6:50 p.m. -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Americans to brace for a "hell of a bad two weeks" ahead as the White House projected there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Read more.

6:40 p.m. -- Three Spire employees who work in the St. Louis area have tested positive for COVID-19. Read more.

6:30 p.m. -- ST. CHARLES -- Ten more people at Frontier Health and Rehabilitation have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total of people infected at the St. Charles skilled-nursing home to 14 -- a dozen residents and two staff employees. Read more.

-- Corner markets have had an influx of customers beyond their neighborhood regulars as people venture out of their homes for meat, bread, snacks and toiletries. Smaller shops are busier but still less crowded than supermarkets, so they seem safer and cleaner, their owners say. Read more.

5:30 p.m. -- A number of child-care centers in the St. Louis region are tailoring their staffing and hours to meet the needs of first-responders, medical staff and other "essential" workers who are on the frontlines of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Read more.

5:20 p.m. -- ST. CHARLES COUNTY -- A third person has died from COVID-19 in St. Charles County, according to local health officials. Read more.

3 p.m -- ILLINOIS -- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday extended his statewide stay-at-home order for three weeks as the nation struggles to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Pritzker set a new deadline of April 30 for keeping people inside except if necessary to go to a job deemed essential or take care of needs such as getting food or going to a health care provider. Stay-home orders in St. Louis and St. Louis County are effective through April 22, but may also be extended. Read more.

2:15 p.m. -- Missouri's cases of COVID-19 rose by 290 Tuesday to 1,327, including 14 deaths. The state health department reported 492 cases in St. Louis County, up from 366 the day before, and 71 in St. Charles County, up from 51 Monday. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said Monday that there were 150 in St. Louis city.

In Illinois, there were 26 more deaths announced Tuesday and 937 new cases. The state's total now stands at 5,994 cases and 99 deaths. Cases include 43 in St. Clair County and 16 in Madison County.

2 p.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- The leaders of the three most populous counties on the Missouri side of the metro area all say a more uniform response from state government could better manage the coronavirus crisis. Read more.

12 p.m.-- CLAYTON -- St. Louis County confirmed Tuesday that a third resident had died of COVID-19, three days after her death and without explaining the lag time. The county said it was taking steps to confirm such news and share it more quickly. Read more.

11:15 a.m. -- UNIVERSITY CITY -- A Schnucks grocery store worker has tested positive for COVID-19, the company said on Tuesday, and five other employees are self-quarantined. Read more.

10:15 a.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis University said Tuesday it would start testing possible treatments for COVID-19, starting with a drug originally developed to treat Ebola. The study is being supported by the National Institutes of Health and will occur in roughly 75 locations worldwide, SLU said. Read more.

10 a.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- Southwest Airlines, the dominant carrier at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, will cut more than 40% of its flights in May because of drooping demand. The airline will fly about 2,000 flights a day and cut many of its departures before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Read more.

8:15 a.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- March began with a front-page article in the Post-Dispatch about the nation's first death from coronavirus. It ended with more than 3,000 people dead in a grim toll that is sure to climb. Look back at our front pages from the month that coronavirus touched us all. Read more.

6:30 a.m. -- JEFFERSON CITY -- Bad roads in Missouri may stay bad longer than planned. With state revenue plummeting, road projects will be among the spending delayed by the state. Read more.

6 a.m. -- CHESTERFIELD -- Eight employees of Annie Gunn's restaurant in Chesterfield contracted COVID-19, the restaurant owner said. None of the workers had reported any symptoms before the restaurant closed on March 19. Read more.

-- Catch up on developments on Monday, March 30

4 p.m. -- Rental-car giant Enterprise Holdings is furloughing some employees and cutting pay for others as it copes with a coronavirus-related reduction in travel. Read more.

3:10 p.m. -- Confirmed cases in Missouri reached 1,031 Monday; 13 have died, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Read more.

2:30 p.m. -- Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois rose to more than 5,000 Monday, including 73 deaths. That's up from 1,285 one week ago. Cases include 36 in St. Clair County, 13 in Madison County and three in Monroe County. Read more.

1:35 p.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- Mayor Lyda Krewson is considering asking retired St. Louis police officers to return to work to assist during the coronavirus crisis. But the officers could be at risk because of their age. Read more.

12:30 p.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- Parks in St. Louis will stay open, for now, but some of the roads inside parks are being closed to improve the area's observance of social distancing. Mayor Lyda Krewson's office took the action after reports of large weekend crowds at some city parks. Read more.

12:25 p.m. -- Spartan Light Metal Products will temporarily lay off more than 650 employees in the wake of automaker shutdowns during the COVID-19 outbreak, the company said in a press release. Read more.

12:25 p.m. -- Alsco Linen and Uniform Rental Services will conduct layoffs at its St. Louis branch, as economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak hit the company's clients. Read more.

12 p.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- A reader's email to columnist Tony Messenger about a column on Donald Trump led to a gift of face masks to a Bronx hospital. Read more.

11:15 a.m. -- JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri's casinos will stay closed for at least another week. Read more.

11 a.m. -- ST. LOUIS -- There are no hugs, no visitation, no toasting the life of a loved one. Funerals during the coronavirus pandemic are emotionally draining for families already reeling. The family of Jazmond Dixon couldn't get out of their cars at the cemetery where the 31-year-old Red Cross employee was buried. They prayed from their cars. Read more.

10:30 a.m. -- ST. LOUIS COUNTY -- Meals for children will be available starting Monday at nine St. Louis County library branches. The library said meal distribution will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and will include shelf-stable breakfast and lunches. Read more.

9 a.m. -- WEBSTER GROVES -- A man who lost his wife to COVID-19 said the former preschool teacher had a cough dismissed as a sinus problem at first. She went downhill quickly and died on Saturday. His message? Take the threat seriously. Read more.

8:45 a.m. -- Groceries aren't the only thing you can get delivered during the coronavirus pandemic. The Missouri Humane Society is looking for homes for a dozen baby goats, and it will deliver to your home. Read more.

-- Catch up on developments Sunday, March 29

-- Catch up on news from Saturday, March 28

-- Catch up on developments from Friday, March 27

-- Catch up on developments from Thursday, March 26

-- Retail stores in the region that are cutting hours or closing due to the coronavirus

-- Area restaurants that are closing, switching to carryout or otherwise adjusting due to the coronavirus

-- Fundraising campaigns will benefit artists, restaurant workers in St. Louis

-- Area events canceled or postponed

-- COVID-19 cases in Missouri by county

-- Cases in Missouri by date

-- Cases in the United States

-- CDC fact sheet: Prevention and treatment

How is the situation affecting you?

If you have a story about trying to get tested, quarantine or the way the coronavirus is effecting your daily life or planned events, we want to hear from you. You can send a news tip to the Post-Dispatch here.

Concerned about COVID-19?

Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily.

___

(c)2020 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.