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Trump repeated a favorite refrain of some conservatives, who have said that the coronavirus “cure”—that is, a nationwide shutdown—cannot be worse than the disease itself.
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Coronavirus patients are showing a wide range of symptoms and the exact reason why is still a mystery — but we do have some clues as to what factors can influence the severity of the disease.
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Iran will never ask the United States for help in the fight against the new coronavirus, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected offers from Washington for humanitarian assistance for Iran, the Middle Eastern country so far worst-affected by the coronavirus, with 3,739 deaths and 60,500 people infected according to the latest figures on Monday. "Iran has never asked and will not ask America to help Tehran in its fight against the outbreak ... But America should lift all its illegal unilateral sanctions on Iran," Mousavi said in a televised news conference.
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Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden said on Sunday morning that the Democratic National Convention may need to be “virtual” amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, adding that the party’s convention is “necessary” this year.Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Biden was asked by anchor George Stephanopoulos whether it was wise for Wisconsin to hold its primary as scheduled this upcoming Tuesday, noting fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has called on it to be postponed over safety concerns.“Well, look, I think they should just follow the science,” Biden replied. “I think whatever the science says we should do.”Stephanopoulos, meanwhile, wondered whether this also held true for the convention, which has already been moved out to August to allow for additional time to monitor the situation with COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines. Prior to the party pushing it back a month, Biden admitted publicly that it could not occur as scheduled in July.“And does that hold for the convention as well?” Stephanopoulos asked. “Are you open to the idea that it just might not be possible to do the convention in August?”“Yes. Well, we'll have to do a convention, may have to do a virtual convention,” Biden responded. “We should be thinking about that right now. The idea of holding a convention is going to be necessary but we may not be able to put 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 people in one place and that's very possible.”The former vice president reiterated the need to “follow the science” while stating that we need to listen to the experts, specifically citing top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. He further noted that amid the health crisis, the country may need to start thinking about how it’s going to hold elections, saying voting by mail could be a national option.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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Experts predicted the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns could lead to an uptick in domestic violence.
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"Give us what you can so that we don’t overwhelm our health care systems over this next week," Jerome Adams said on "Meet the Press" Sunday.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday to bolster measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak, but that there will be no hard lockdowns. Abe also told reporters Monday that his government will launch a 108 trillion yen ($1 trillion) stimulus package to help counter the economic impact of the pandemic, including cash payouts to households in need and financial support to protect businesses and jobs. Abe said experts on a government-commissioned task force urged him to prepare to declare a state of emergency, with the COVID-19 outbreak rapidly expanding in major cities including Tokyo, and hospitals and medical staff overburdened with patients.
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Italian officials said Sunday they may soon have to consider easing restrictions after seeing the daily coronavirus death toll plunge to its lowest in over two weeks. The 525 official COVID-19 fatalities reported by the civil protection service were the Mediterranean country's lowest since 427 deaths were registered on March 19. "The curve has started its descent and the number of deaths has started to drop," Italy's ISS national health institute director Silvio Brusaferro told reporters.
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Passengers from the Ruby Princess disembarked in Sydney without knowing the coronavirus was on board.
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Just a little over a month after saying there was no need for the community at large to wear masks in public, the CDC has changed its mind, recommending that all Americans should wear some sort of face covering when venturing outside.
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Michael Atkinson wrote that he was "legally obligated" to make sure whistleblowers had confidentially.
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Europe needs debt mutualisation and a common "Marshall Plan" to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, even as Germany dismissed calls for the debt-pooling idea. EU leaders have tasked policymakers with finding a new way to finance a recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak, after Germany and the Netherlands ruled out calls from France, Italy and Spain to create a common debt instrument. Germany, among other nations, has long been opposed to issuing common debt with other European nations, arguing that it would stop individual countries from pursuing structural reforms and balancing their budgets.
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Germany and France have accused the US of taking face masks already ordered by Europe as the coronavirus pandemic continued to cause rising international tensions.Politicians in Berlin and Paris both said America had been using unfair means to undermine their own attempts to secure personal protective equipment.
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The Navy's acting secretary said Capt. Brett Crozier was "panicking" and was flabbergasted by him being "so out of character."
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"I think the guy should ... have a commendation rather than be fired," Biden said.
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President Trump on Saturday said that the United States is approaching a time that will be “very horrendous” for the nation amid the growing coronavirus outbreak across the country.
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A deadly Pacific cyclone intensified as it hit Vanuatu on Monday, threatening a natural disaster that experts fear will undermine the impoverished Pacific nation's battle to remain coronavirus-free. Tropical Cyclone Harold, which claimed 27 lives when it swept through the Solomon Islands last week, strengthened to a scale-topping category five superstorm overnight, Vanuatu's meteorology service said. It made landfall on the remote east coast of Espiritu Santo island on Monday morning and was heading directly for Vanuatu's second-largest town Luganville, which has a population of 16,500.
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Potential coronavirus vaccines are being developed in record time based on new technology. But for now, the flu vaccine is still grown in eggs.
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Iran is experiencing on of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus in the world. Will the instability cause the country's leaders to lash out against America?
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Lebanon's crippling financial crisis including tight capital controls has complicated the plight of Lebanese stuck abroad, with tough restrictions on accessing cash. Prime Minister Hassan Diab, speaking to reporters at Beirut international airport on Sunday, said about 21,000 Lebanese had registered for flights back to Lebanon. "Hopefully this cloud, the cloud that is the health situation with corona, passes quickly and infections are minimal for Lebanese whether at home or abroad," said Diab.
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The man attacked local officials with a scythe after they told him to wear a face mask, according to a police report.
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Aides have become 'increasingly worried' about prime minister Boris Johnson's health after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
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Dr. Deborah Birx on Sunday spoke about the declining numbers of new coronavirus cases and deaths in Spain and Italy. She believes it can offer hope to the United States.
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"It's going to be the hardest moment for many Americans in their entire lives," Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on MSNBC's Meet the Press.
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(Bloomberg) -- The deadly coronavirus may infect as many as 95,000 people in Indonesia by next month before easing, a minister said, as authorities ordered people to wear face masks to contain the pandemic.The dire forecast, which came as the country reported its biggest daily spike in confirmed cases, is based on a projection by the nation’s intelligence agency, University of Indonesia and Bandung Institute of Technology, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told lawmakers in Jakarta. The estimate was discussed at a cabinet meeting held by President Joko Widodo earlier on Monday, she said.Indonesia has seen a surge in infections in recent weeks after reporting its first cases only in early March. While the death toll from the pandemic at 209 is the highest in Asia after China, confirmed cases at 2,491 in a country of almost 270 million people is fewer than those reported in smaller countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines. Authorities reported 218 new Covid-19 cases on Monday. “The situation is very dynamic,” Indrawati said. “The government continues to monitor and take more steps as estimates show that the cases may peak in April and May.”Jokowi, as Widodo is known, has declared a national health emergency and ordered large scale social distancing to contain the spread of the virus that has infected almost 1.3 million people worldwide. On Monday, the president ordered authorities to ensure availability of face masks for every household as he appealed to citizens to cover their faces to contain the pandemic.The world’s fourth-most populous nation, along with India and the Philippines, could soon become the next Covid-19 hot spots given their large populations, weak health care infrastructure and social security net, according to Nomura Holdings Inc.Mortality RateThe highest mortality rate in Asia may signal the actual number of infections may be much higher than reported in Indonesia, reflecting a lack of Covid-19 testing capacity, Nomura said in a report last week. The country may eventually be forced to implement a complete lockdown in April and possibly for an extended period, Nomura said.The president has rejected calls to lock down cities and regions to fight the virus, saying such harsh steps would hurt the poor the most. But the surge in cases has overwhelmed the country’s health care system, with authorities struggling to procure enough personal protection equipment, hazmat suits and ventilators for medical workers.Some local administrations have sought permission to impose large scale social distancing measures under a new rule issued by the Health Ministry, Doni Monardo, chief of the government’s task force on coronavirus said Monday. The steps will allow police and other law enforcement agencies to take “measurable actions”, according to officials.Indonesia Slashes Growth Forecast by More Than Half on Virus The police will step up a crackdown on gathering of people across the archipelago to aid the government efforts to break the virus chain, national police spokesman Argo Yuwono said in a televised briefing Monday. Law enforcement agencies have also investigated more than a dozen cases of hoarding of food, masks and other essential supplies and price gouging, he said.Jokowi said a plan to release prisoners from the nation’s crowded jails should be limited to those serving terms for general crimes and not those convicted for corruption and other serious offenses. The president also ordered speedier reallocation of budget to tackle the health and economic impact of the pandemic, his office said in a statement.(Updates with latest coronavirus data in third paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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Japan's prime minister Monday proposed a state of emergency for several major regions seeing a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, as well as a stimulus package worth $1 trillion to cushion the impact on the world's third-biggest economy. The official declaration of the state of emergency would likely come as soon as Tuesday, Shinzo Abe told reporters, as the country grapples with a recent spike in coronavirus cases, especially in the capital Tokyo. "Currently, we are seeing rapid increases of new infections particularly in urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka," said Abe.
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With the coronavirus pandemic quickly spreading, U.S. health officials have changed their advice on face masks and now recommend people wear cloth masks in public areas where social distancing can be difficult, such as grocery stores. But can these masks be effective?President Donald Trump, in announcing the change in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on April 3, stressed that the recommendation was voluntary and said he probably wouldn’t follow it. Governors and mayors, however, have started encouraging the precautions to reduce the spread of the virus by people who might not know they are infected.Some cities have gone as far as setting fines for failing to wear a mask. In Laredo, Texas, anyone over the age of five who walks into a store or takes public transit without their mouth and nose covered by a mask or bandana could now be fined up to $1,000. These new measures are designed to “flatten the curve,” or slow the spread of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.They’re also a shift from the advice Americans have been hearing since the coronavirus pandemic began.The World Health Organization and the CDC have repeatedly said that most people do not need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. In February, the U.S. surgeon general even urged the public to stop buying medical masks, warning that it would not help against the spread of the coronavirus. Part of the reason was to reserve N95 respirators and masks for healthcare workers like myself who are on the front lines and exposed to people with COVID-19. Today, there is much more data and evidence on how COVID-19 is spread, and the prevalence of the disease itself is far more widespread than previously thought. Sick, but no symptomsAs recently as early February, the World Health Organization stated that viral transmission from asymptomatic people was likely “rare,” based on information available at the time. But a growing body of data now suggests that a significant number of infected people who don’t have symptoms can still transmit the virus to others. A CDC report issued March 23 on COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships offers a glimpse of the danger. It describes how the testing of passengers and crew on board the Diamond Princess found that nearly half – 46.5% – of the more than 700 people found to be infected with the new coronavirus had no symptoms at the time of testing. The CDC explained that “a high proportion of asymptomatic infections could partially explain the high attack rate among cruise ship passengers and crew.”Dr. Harvey Fineberg, former president of the National Academy of Medicine and head of a new federal committee on infectious diseases, told CNN on April 2 that he will start wearing a mask in public, especially at grocery stores, for this very reason. “While the current specific research is limited, the results of available studies are consistent with aerosolization of virus from normal breathing,” he said. It is these “silent carriers” – people infected with the virus but without fever, cough, or muscle aches – that proponents of universal mask wearing point to as proof that more could be done beyond social distancing to slow the virus’s spread. More effective than doing nothingWhile research on the effectiveness of universal mask wearing for reducing respiratory droplet transmission is still thin, there is evidence to support it.Research on SARS, another coronavirus, found that N95 masks were highly effective at blocking transmission of that virus. Even ill-fitting medical face masks have been found to interrupt airborne particles and viruses, keeping them from reaching as far when someone sneezes.Another study determined that, while masks made out of cotton T-shirts were far less effective than manufactured surgical masks in preventing wearers from expelling droplets, they did reduce droplets and were better than no protection at all. A challenge with cloth: washingThe surgical masks that doctors and nurses typically wear are designed for one-time use, while cloth masks used by the general public would likely be washed, which raises another concern.A study from Nepal on cloth masks designed to protect wearers from larger particles, such as pollution or pollen, found that washing and drying practices deteriorated the mask’s efficiency because they damaged the cloth material. It is clear that urgent research is needed on the best material suitable for universal masks, their storage and care, or the creation of proper reusable masks for the public. A low-risk interventionAs an obstetrician-gynecologist and researcher, I believe that some protection for the public is better than none. A recent article in the medical journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine states a similar rationale.The universal use of mouth and nose covering with masks is a low-risk intervention that can only assist in reducing the spread of this terrible illness. If everyone wears a mask, individuals protect one another, reducing overall community transmission. It could even remind people not to touch their faces after touching potentially contaminated surfaces. As the research shows, masks aren’t shields. It’s still important to help prevent transmission by practicing social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others in public, staying home as much as possible, and washing hands frequently and properly. [Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Coronavirus case counts are going to go up – but that doesn’t mean social distancing is a bust * Social distancing works – just ask lobsters, ants and vampire batsHector Chapa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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The ousted inspector general of the intelligence community says he is “disappointed and saddened” that President Donald Trump fired him, but he also encouraged other inspectors general to continue to speak out when they are aware of wrongdoing. Trump notified Congress late Friday evening that he intended to fire Michael Atkinson, a pivotal figure in his impeachment last year, because he had lost confidence in him. On Saturday, Trump made it clear that the move had been retaliatory, telling reporters that Atkinson was a “disgrace” and had done “a terrible job” because he had provided an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress — a move that was required by law.
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Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood resigned on Sunday after she broke her own advice to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus by visiting her second home this weekend and last. Calderwood said that during discussions with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday evening they agreed her actions risked distracting from the "hugely important job that government and the medical profession has to do in getting the country through this coronavirus pandemic". Police had earlier issued a warning to Calderwood about her behaviour and Sturgeon had removed her as the public face of the campaign to tackle the coronavirus.
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For a time the Middle East seemed like it just froze, the conflicts of yesterday put in quarantine—as so many of us have been—while various countries strive to contain an epidemic of biblical scale. Don’t expect that to last. The coronavirus outbreak is not the great equalizer, nor is it the crisis in which past rivalries will be forgotten.Trump’s Most Vital Mideast Allies Are Trending Fast Toward TyrannyLike an earthquake, the coronavirus is magnifying the foundational weaknesses of the least prepared countries, exacerbating existing inequalities across the region. And like a particularly lethal aftershock, the crash of the oil price further debilitates petroleum-based economies that lack the financial reserves to weather the secondary blow to their system. For Gulf countries, the “double whammy” of the coronavirus and the oil shock, while major disruptions, can be weathered with mass injections of capital. Moreover, these countries appear to have been some of the best prepared to deal with the pandemic, likely because they already faced the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak. They acted relatively quickly and decisively to identify cases and close down their borders. That’s not to say that things aren’t going to be bad for Gulf countries—they will—but there will be different shades of bad. By contrast, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, and Lebanon are certain to be hit especially hard by the twin blows. Algeria and Iraq’s budgets are so tied to the price of oil that they have no margin to maneuver. The economic crisis will also hit Egypt, especially with the loss of tourism, while Lebanon was in the process of defaulting on its sovereign debt even before the outbreak really took off. Refugee and internally displaced communities across the region also are going to be hit very hard, which is likely to increase refugee flows both within and outside the region—with potential recipients of these flows having another reason to close their doors. As a result, the burden of these new refugees is poised to be borne most by the states that can least afford to do so and those that already are host to massive displaced populations.This widening gap will have an impact on the region’s geopolitics. Desperate people do desperate things, and desperate regimes even more so. The recent escalation in attacks against coalition forces in Iraq which resulted in the killing of two U.S. and UK soldiers in the Taji military base is one example of what could become a trend: namely, the growing need for countries weakened by the outbreak to project strength. Iran has been at the epicenter of the crisis in the region and its lack of transparency and effort to maintain ties with one of its last trading partners, China, turned the crisis into a nightmare—making us, as geopolitical analysts, wonder what does Iran have to lose and where could its proxies strike next?Beyond that, as the crisis shifts America’s focus even more inwards, local actors will test Washington’s willingness to respond to escalation. Given what happened in Iran, and the possible geopolitical consequences, this raises the questions of what would (or more likely will) happen if/when the crisis will reach these levels in areas such as Syria, Yemen, Libya or Gaza? In an already unequal world, the crisis may well make asymmetric warfare even more relevant than it already was.While some regimes struggling against popular protest movements may have perceived a silver lining in the outbreak, a day of reckoning is not far over the horizon. In Algeria and Lebanon the streets are emptying fast. Now that the scale of the outbreak has set in, most if not all protesters won’t be marching for weeks or months to come. But there will be some reluctance to call off the demonstrations. Some protesters view their local regimes as worse than the virus. Those who decide to continue demonstrating will face a crackdown rationalized by the outbreak—Algeria already issued a ban on protests. The pandemic will break the momentum of these popular movements, but, once the dust settles, these may also come back swinging at governments that mishandled the crisis. The Middle East and North Africa were in the middle of a second Arab Spring. There’s every reason to expect the uprisings to regain their momentum when “coronavirus season” is over.On a domestic level, the crisis likely won’t bring people together, at least not in the long term—and not only because of the need for social distancing. Sectarian tensions are liable to increase, particularly as a result of Iran’s catastrophic mishandling of the situation. In the Gulf, where much of the initial outbreak was the result of Iran-related travels—which are difficult to track given that Gulf citizens who travel to Iran don’t get their passports stamped—fear of a broader outbreak due to such travel is already having an impact, with Saudi Arabia closing the Shiite-majority region of Qatif, and other Gulf countries reluctant to repatriate their own citizens from Iran. The lack of testing capabilities in Sunni areas of Iraq (when compared to Kurdish and Shiite-majority areas), a similar lack of balance between testing numbers among the Jewish and Arab communities in Israel alongside tensions prompted by lockdown measures in Jaffa, all highlight the possibility that the outbreak will widen domestic divides rather than bridge them.In Israel, the crisis has revealed—overnight—the government’s willingness to approve massive spying on its own population at a time when parliament can’t convene to monitor the use of data gathered by the Israeli Security Agency. This is not an isolated case: more broadly, containment measures and the subsequent reaction by their respective populations will widen the gap between governments who managed to gain public trust, and those who didn’t.All of these factors suggest the coronavirus pandemic will turn into a defining moment for the region, not simply because of its magnitude, but because it came at a time when most countries were experiencing their own political crises—and failed to build any immunity to the one that suddenly knocked at their doors.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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Lockdown measures in Italy, Spain and France appear to be bearing fruit after three weeks, with daily death tolls beginning to decline.
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Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has issued some dire warnings since the early days of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, but on Sunday he indicated some steps taken by the U.S. federal government and states might be paying off -- both in terms of curbing the spread and preparing the health-care system for an onslaught of patients.New York City remains the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, and its hospitals are struggling. Gottlieb reiterated the predication made by numerous officials that the city, and New York state, are on the verge of peaking next week, which will undoubtedly stretch the health-care system thin. But he said he, ultimately, he thinks there will be enough ventilators for severe COVID-19 patients thanks to a historic effort to expand their supply, preventing New York from going past its tipping point.> The New York healthcare system "will be right on the brink" \- strained - "but won't go over" @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan . He adds, "I don't think they will run out of ventilators." pic.twitter.com/AhnAanf4rN> > -- Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 5, 2020As for the rest of the country, Gottlieb believes mitigation efforts like social distancing are "clearly working," as case rates slow in northern states, though he's concerned the next set of hot spots will be in the South. > "Mitigation is clearly working," @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan, but notes that states in the Sunbelt - across the south - are going to be the next hotspots in the United States. pic.twitter.com/wD4q1Z5yUf> > -- Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 5, 2020More stories from theweek.com 5 funny cartoons about social distancing Health experts say official U.S. coronavirus death toll is understated 5 brutally funny cartoons about Trump's TV ratings boast
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At least five children ate candy containing high THC doses after the Utah Food Bank distributed it as part of their food donations, police said.
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Respiratory illnesses are already the main cause of death for the country's native communities.
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The coronavirus threatened Americans with their hardest week in memory on Monday and put Britain's prime minister in hospital, despite early signs that some of Europe's hardest-hit countries may be turning a corner. Japan announced an imminent state of emergency and a trillion-dollar stimulus package, after the US surgeon general compared the likely impact of the epidemic in the week ahead to 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. In London, virus-stricken Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent the night in hospital for tests, after Queen Elizabeth II delivered a rare emergency address in a 68-year reign to urge Britain to "remain united and resolute".
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During the presidency of Barack Obama, the national stockpile was seriously taxed as the administration addressed multiple crises over eight years.
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"We are struggling to get it under control," Fauci said Sunday. At a prior press conference, Trump said the US had "tremendous control" of the virus.
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Some of Uganda’s poorest people used to work here, on the streets of Kampala, as fruit sellers sitting on the pavement or as peddlers of everything from handkerchiefs to roasted peanuts. Now they're gone and no one knows when they will return, victims of a global economic crisis linked to the coronavirus that could wipe out jobs for millions across the African continent, many who live hand-to-mouth with zero savings.
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Singapore reported 120 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, by far its highest daily rise, and quarantined nearly 20,000 migrant workers in their dormitories. Of Sunday's new cases, 116 were locally transmitted and many were linked to two dormitories that house migrant workers, who will now have to stay in their rooms for 14 days. The number of new cases is a 60% increase over the 75 reported on Saturday, which was the previous biggest daily rise.
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(Bloomberg) -- With the U.S. now the clear epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak and poised to enter its most challenging week yet, President Donald Trump’s administration still faces charges from state and local officials that it’s not doing enough to ensure lives aren’t lost unnecessarily.The virus is still ravaging Europe, and talks are under way over how to help the continent’s most vulnerable economies recover.And in China, preparations are being made to re-open Wuhan, the original site of the outbreak, even as a second wave of infections threatens Asian urban centers. Dig deeper into these topics — and check out some others you may have missed — with the latest edition of Weekend Reads.Blue-Collar America Braces for Another Devastating RecessionManufacturing takes more of a beating in downturns than other sectors — and it’s still scarred from the last one. Shawn Donnan, Joe Deaux, Reade Pickert and Keith Naughton take a look at the coming storm.Stay-at-Home Orders Halt State Moves on Sports Bets, Taxing RichA Michigan bid to raise taxes on the rich. An amendment allowing sports betting at Indian casinos in California. An effort to bring light to how political ads are funded in Arizona. Across the U.S., stay-at-home decrees are blocking the most essential part of efforts to get these proposals on ballots in November: gathering signatures in person. Jeffrey Taylor takes a closer look. Good Luck Policing the Massive Virus Relief Fund, TARP Vets SayThe massive $2 trillion U.S stimulus package includes a $500 billion Treasury Department fund to bail out airlines and other large corporations harmed by the pandemic. As Joshua Green explains, the job of policing it won’t be easy.As Rest of World Locks Down, China Tries to Get Shoppers OutIn a bid to jump-start consumption, authorities are distributing vouchers and offering subsidies on larger purchases such as cars, while state media plays up stories of officials venturing out to enjoy local delights like bubble tea and pork buns. But as Dandan Li reports, many Chinese are hesitant to return to their old lives.Johnson’s Virus Fight Banks on British Love for Health ServiceSchoolkids in lockdown put home-made signs in their bedroom windows thanking brave doctors and nurses. Families stepped outside their front doors for a national round of applause. Public buildings lit up blue. Olivia Konotey-Ahulu, James Paton, Suzi Ring and Andrew Atkinson break down how this week’s events demonstrate why few leaders have more to gain or lose from the ability of doctors to cope than the U.K. prime minister.The World’s Hotspots Risk Festering With All Eyes on the VirusWith attention right now is focused on fighting the pandemic, that doesn’t mean the world’s conflict spots have gone silent. Rosalind Mathieson, Samer Al-Atrush, Donna Abu-Nasr and Philip Heijmans take a closer look. Poorest Caracas Neighborhoods Flout Maduro’s Virus LockdownMuch of Caracas is now deserted with hardly anyone in the streets apart from armed officials enforcing the local lockdown. Not so in the Venezuelan capital’s slums, where stocking up and hunkering down isn’t an option, Alex Vasquez reports. Putin’s Economic Isolation Suddenly Doesn’t Look So BadVladimir Putin has the U.S. Treasury Department to thank for helping his country prepare for a global economic crisis. A steady deluge of economic sanctions has pushed Russia’s authorities to boost reserves and strip back debt over the past five years. Now that fortress approach is starting to look like good foresight, Natasha Doff and Anya Andrianova report. Angela Merkel Can’t Isolate Herself From Pressure to Save EuropeAcross the River Spree from the quiet of Berlin’s Museum Island, Angela Merkel spent most of the week a in self-imposed quarantine. The galleries at the UNESCO World Heritage Site now boast more World War II bullet holes than visitors, and, as Alan Crawford writes, history may judge Germany’s enduring leader on what she does to help Europe’s weaker countries through the pandemic. Tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally … In January, Shelly Banjo’s 16-month-old son uttered one of his first words: “mask.” Banjo and her family were living in Hong Kong, which had gone on de facto lockdown to limit the virus’s spread as it infected thousands in mainland China. Read her first-hand account of their decision to relocate to the U.S., which taught them you can’t run from a global pandemic. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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Public health experts and government officials agree that the U.S. government's coronavirus death toll almost certainly understates how many Americans have actually died from the virus.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only counts deaths where the presence of the coronavirus is confirmed in a lab test, The Washington Post reports, and "we know that it is an underestimation," CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said.There are many reasons why the numbers are underreported. Strict criteria in the beginning of the outbreak kept many people from getting tested for coronavirus, and it's still difficult to get tested in some areas, for example. There's also the matter of false positives, and not all medical examiners have tests or believe they should conduct postmortem testing, even on people who died at home or in nursing homes where there were outbreaks. Experts also believe some February and early March deaths that were attributed to influenza or pneumonia were likely due to coronavirus.The official death count is based on reports sent by states, and as of Sunday night, the CDC reports 304,826 confirmed U.S. cases and 7,616 deaths. The Post, other media outlets, and university researchers update their numbers more frequently, with the Post reporting on Sunday night that 9,633 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S., and at least 337,000 cases have been confirmed.More stories from theweek.com 5 funny cartoons about social distancing 5 brutally funny cartoons about Trump's TV ratings boast John Oliver spends 18 minutes dumping on OAN, Trump's favorite media outlet
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"If I don't get a flight soon, then I probably won't see my dad ever again," said Grace Mitchell.
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Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House task force on the coronavirus, had a message for Americans that she shared on Thursday: Do better at social distancing. President Trump disagreed.
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The largest maritime operation ever undertaken in Sydney Harbour was completed on Sunday with the successful restocking and refuelling of five cruise ships, Australian police said. It was part of government efforts since mid-March to force vessels to leave the country's waters to prevent any further spread of the coronavirus in Australia. Cruise ship guests have so far accounted for almost 10 percent of Australia's more than 5,500 infections.
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The man later apologized, saying: "It never should've happened, the alcohol had really taken effect and I have no sensor when I get this messy."
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All of China observed a three-minute silence on Saturday, which coincided with Qingming Festival, when people traditionally visit ancestors' graves.
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President Donald Trump says the U.S. will send 1,000 military personnel to New York City to help battle the coronavirus epidemic.
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Global benchmark oil prices traded as much as $3 a barrel lower as the market opened for Monday's trading session, reflecting fears of oversupply after Saudi Arabia and Russia postponed to Thursday a meeting about a potential pact to cut production. Late last week, prices had surged, with both U.S. and Brent contracts posting their largest weekly percentage gains on record due to hopes that OPEC and its allies would strike a global deal to cut crude supply worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has cut demand and a month-long price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia has left the market awash in crude.
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Wang Quanzhang, a well-known Chinese rights lawyer, was released from prison Sunday after being held for more than four years, his wife said. It was unclear whether he would be allowed to return to Beijing, where he practiced and lived with his wife and young son. Police took him to his house in his hometown of Jinan in eastern China, his wife said in a tweet on her verified Twitter account.
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