| New Yahoo News/YouGov coronavirus poll: 59 percent of Americans say Trump's Easter timeline is 'too soon' to restart economy Posted: 27 Mar 2020 08:58 AM PDT  A large majority of Americans disagree with President Trump that the nation's battle against the coronavirus is winding down and that normal economic activity should resume sooner rather than later, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.
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| A Wuhan seafood vendor believed to be one of the first coronavirus patients says 'a lot fewer people would have died' if the Chinese government acted sooner Posted: 28 Mar 2020 04:45 AM PDT  Wei Guixian, a 57-year-old seafood vendor in Wuhan, China, was among the first 27 people to be diagnosed with the coronavirus.
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| Americans stranded in India fear for their safety and wonder when they can return home Posted: 27 Mar 2020 09:04 AM PDT  A California couple waiting to adopt a child in India was days away from completion when the country's coronavirus lockdown brought the process to a halt.
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| Iran to use 20% of state budget to fight coronavirus Posted: 28 Mar 2020 11:43 AM PDT  Iran is to allocate 20% of its annual state budget to fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the country, one of the worst-hit in the world, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday. Iran's death toll from coronavirus rose to 2,517 on Saturday, with 139 fatalities in the past 24 hours, as cases rose 3,076 to 35,408, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on state television. "We are in difficult conditions, in conditions of sanctions but we have allocated 20% of our budget this year to corona, ... and this might be surprising for the world from a country under sanctions," Rouhani said in comments broadcast on state TV.
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| Alabama girl, 4, missing for nearly two days, found safe Posted: 27 Mar 2020 03:43 PM PDT  Evelyn Vadie Sides and her dog have been reunited with worried loved ones.
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| Coronavirus Comes to the Kremlin Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:04 PM PDT  After months of denials, Russia is facing a new reality with respect to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the country. Friday's statistics officially acknowledge 1,036 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, including four deaths. The real numbers are undoubtedly much higher, as testing for the potentially deadly disease is only starting to pick up steam and some coronavirus deaths are being attributed to other causes.The highly contagious virus has already penetrated the walls of the Kremlin. Russian media reported that two Kremlin officials may have tested positive for the coronavirus. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed he was aware of one of those cases, but claimed no knowledge of the second. State media outlet TASS speculated that one of the infected persons may have been a staffer responsible for awards, who traveled to Spain and later attended Putin's presidential awards ceremony in occupied Crimea.Putin's own spokesman couldn't avoid the handshake of the disease, having been present at a star-studded birthday party attended by pop singer Lev Leshchenko, who recently tested positive for coronavirus. Peskov claimed that attendees at the fancy affair maintained proper distancing and "barely even shook hands" in light of the coronavirus advisories. However, video clips aired by the Russian state media TV show 60 Minutes demonstrated that celebrity partiers hugged, kissed and made silly gestures mocking the coronavirus precautions. Peskov denied interacting with the infected singer at the party.Russia Swore It Whipped the Virus, and Fox and CNN Bought ItRussia's State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia that consists of 450 members, said it will require all of its deputies to take coronavirus tests on Monday.Putin expressed near certainty that Russia could defeat the coronavirus "in two or three months time… maybe even earlier." Taking an obvious jab at the United States, he added: "In some countries, it is said that the war with the virus (they call it a 'war') will be a very long one."State media outlet RT hinted at the upcoming unrest in the United States: predicting that "a people deprived of their myths will not remain complacent forever." RT opined: "With no brawls or ballgames to watch, and the fear of potential hunger gnawing at their bloated bellies and brains… Americans will now find it harder and harder to ignore the truth about their country and its deplorably corrupt media, financial, government, education and health care systems… The crisis is going to get worse before it gets better… America, on the other hand, will only get much worse, with no hope that it is ever going to get better."Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin expressed his hope that Russia's fight against the coronavirus will be "more smooth and painless than in other countries." He ordered Moscow's restaurants and most stores to shut down for eight days and noted: "The restrictions introduced today are unprecedented in the modern history of Moscow and will create many inconveniences for the everyday life of every person," but argued that "they are absolutely necessary in order to slow the spread of coronavirus infection and reduce the number of cases."Meanwhile, during his Thursday telephone call with reporters, Peskov insisted that in Russia "there is de facto no epidemic" and the Kremlin hopes "to be able to avoid one."Kremlin-controlled Russian state media are using the crisis to promote the view that democratic, progressive countries' inability to curtail the pandemic demonstrated the superiority of Russia's paternalistic government. Russian state media argued that the failure of the United States to prepare for coronavirus, even with a two-month advance notice, also demonstrates the loss of America's global leadership.Appearing on The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, Political scientist Sergey Mikheyev said that he was very happy to report: "Things are better in Russia than in Europe or America." Mikheyev pointed out that the United States failed to extend a helping hand to Europe, after decades of transatlantic solidarity. He attributed the failure of the Trump administration to help America's European allies to "stupidity, greed," or the overt manifestation of total disregard.The host, Vladimir Soloviev, asserted that overcoming the pandemic "with minimal losses" would cement Putin's success in securing the upcoming nationwide vote on the constitutional amendments designed to maintain the Russian leader's grip on power. In anticipation of the inevitable suffering, Russian state media have been promoting outlandish conspiracy theories that blame the United States—and even their alleged "secret bio-laboratories in Ukraine"—for the creation of the coronavirus.Fiona Hill: Trump's Coronavirus Talk Sounds a Lot Like Russia'sThe ongoing spread of the coronavirus in Russia will be accompanied by the inevitable escalation of anti-Western propaganda. When push comes to shove, the Kremlin frequently resorts to its traditional methods of assigning the blame to evil external forces (most frequently, the United States) and portraying Putin as Russia's only hope and savior of the Motherland.The scope of the pandemic, suddenly extending to the Russian president's inner circle, caused obvious nervousness on Russian state television. Appearing on Russia's 60 Minutes, unsettled pundits traded insults and practically screamed at each other. In spite of the Kremlin's initial claims of successfully controlling the spread of the virus, many are realizing that the worst is yet to come.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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| Fact check: Could your December cough actually have been coronavirus? Experts say more research is needed Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:56 AM PDT  A handful of widely circulated Facebook posts have asserted that people in the United States contracted the coronavirus as early as last fall.
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| Asia virus latest: People return to China epicentre, security talks off Posted: 28 Mar 2020 08:31 AM PDT  Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, partly reopened on Saturday after more than two months of near total isolation for its population of 11 million. A top Asian security conference that gathers defence ministers -- including from the US and China -- and senior military officials was cancelled due to the pandemic. Thousands of migrant workers in India, left jobless and penniless by the full shutdown of the country, are walking long distances back to their home villages after all transport was stopped except for essential services.
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| In reversal, Trump uses Defense Production Act to force GM to make ventilators Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:41 PM PDT  Trump ends vacillating and uses government powers to force GM to make ventilators
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| Stay In the Lines With These Neat Science Coloring Pages Posted: 28 Mar 2020 06:00 AM PDT |
| China sends medical aid to Pakistan to combat virus outbreak Posted: 28 Mar 2020 02:51 AM PDT  China sent a plane loaded with medical personnel and supplies Saturday to help Pakistan fight the spread of the coronavirus in one of the world's most populous nations. In Iran, which is battling the worst outbreak in the region, state TV said Saturday another 139 people had died from the virus. China has sought to portray itself as a global leader in the fight against the outbreak, which began a few months ago in its Wuhan province.
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| Ex-Venezuelan spy chief Carvajal discussing surrender with U.S. authorities: sources Posted: 28 Mar 2020 10:28 AM PDT  CARACAS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former head of Venezuela's military intelligence unit, Hugo Carvajal, is discussing his possible surrender with U.S. authorities, three people familiar with the matter said on Saturday, after prosecutors charged him this week with drug trafficking alongside Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Carvajal, a former general and ally of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, has been in hiding since a Spanish court in November approved his extradition to the United States.
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| Without any interventions like social distancing, one model predicts the coronavirus could have killed 40 million people this year Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:05 PM PDT  The researchers warned that governments and individuals must take immediate steps like lockdowns and staying home to stem the impacts of the pandemic.
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| 'Extraordinary' recovery: 101-year-old Italian man with COVID-19 was released from the hospital Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:53 AM PDT  "Mr. P." was born during the Spanish flu pandemic. His recovery from COVID-19 gives Italy "hope for the future," Rimini's deputy mayor said.
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| Neanderthals didn't just hunt mammoths. They actually knew how to fish, researchers discover. Posted: 27 Mar 2020 07:29 AM PDT  A new study suggests that Neanderthals were skilled fishermen and that seafood was a key ingredient in their diets.
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| South Korea virus test-kit makers approved to export to US Posted: 28 Mar 2020 08:07 AM PDT  The companies won pre-approval under emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration that allows for the products to be sold in America, South Korea's foreign ministry said, without naming the firms. The US has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than anywhere else in the world. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said earlier this week that his US counterpart Donald Trump had asked for test kits, although the White House has not confirmed the request.
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| The mistakes that turned New York into an epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT  Caught between a mayor's indecision and a president's inattention, the nation's largest city was left dangerously exposed to the coronavirus pandemic.
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| Can I walk outside? Is the virus on my shoes? Q&A with experts Posted: 26 Mar 2020 11:46 PM PDT  "CBS This Morning" assembled a panel of experts to answer questions from viewers who want to know how the coronavirus and its economic impact affects them.
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| Indian authorities send buses to take unemployed to villages Posted: 28 Mar 2020 02:16 AM PDT  Authorities sent a fleet of buses to the outskirts of India's capital on Saturday to meet an exodus of migrant workers desperately trying to reach their home villages during the world's largest coronavirus lockdown. Thousands of people, mostly young male day laborers but also families, fled their New Delhi homes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown that began on Wednesday and effectively put millions of Indians who live off daily earnings out of work. Modi said the extreme measure was needed to halt the spread of the coronavirus in India, which has confirmed 775 cases and 19 deaths, and where millions live in cramped conditions without regular access to clean water.
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| Russia confirms coronavirus case in Putin's administration, tightens curbs Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:42 AM PDT  The Kremlin confirmed a coronavirus case in President Vladimir Putin's administration on Friday and the government said measures imposed in Moscow to fight the virus should be extended across Russia. The Kremlin said it was taking measures to stop the virus spreading further after a staff member in the presidential administration contracted the virus. It said the person had not come into contact with Putin, but declined to identify them.
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| Now That Canada Is Rationing Masks, Trudeau Faces Backlash for Donating Medical Supplies to China Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:34 AM PDT  Canada's Official Opposition Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer took aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for shipping tons of medical supplies to China in February, calling the move "outrageous" with current concerns that Canada is running short on supplies amid its own fight against coronavirus."Drs. across the country are facing urgent shortages of critical supplies. PM must explain why he sent 50,118 face shields, 1,101 masks, 1,820 goggles, 36,425 medical coveralls, 200,000 nitrile gloves and 3,000 aprons from Canada's own gov't reserves overseas in Feb," Scheer tweeted.> Outrageous. Drs across the country are facing urgent shortages of critical supplies. PM must explain why he sent 50,118 face shields, 1,101 masks, 1,820 goggles, 36,425 medical coveralls, 200,000 nitrile gloves and 3,000 aprons from Canada's own gov't reserves overseas in Feb. https://t.co/OkXFErFw57> > -- Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) March 26, 2020 Canada's Foreign Affairs department announced on February 9 that "Canada has deployed approximately 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment, such as clothing, face shields, masks, goggles and gloves" overseas to China, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.The move came after the World Health Organization warned the international community that "further international exportation of cases may appear in any country" and that "severe coronavirus-related disruptions" would occur as a result."It was absolutely certain in early February that we would need this equipment," Amir Attaran, a professor at University of Ottawa's school of epidemiology and public health and its faculty of law, told The Globe and Mail. "This decision went beyond altruism into high negligence and incompetence because Canada did not, and does not, have surplus equipment to spare."A spokesman for Foreign Affairs explained to the paper that the decision was made "when the spread of COVID-19 was primarily limited to China," and that Canada had since "welcomed donations from Chinese companies" to boost its own stockpiles.Local European news outlets reported this week that the majority of rapid coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty.
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| American Airlines flight attendant dies of coronavirus, elevating fears in the industry Posted: 27 Mar 2020 11:21 AM PDT  Paul Frishkorn, a Philadelphia-based flight attendant, has died from coronavirus, fueling fears in a profession on the front lines of the pandemic.
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| Ex-Venezuela general charged with drug trafficking surrenders to US Posted: 28 Mar 2020 05:06 PM PDT  A retired Venezuelan general has turned himself over to Colombian authorities after the United States charged him with drug-trafficking and offered a reward for his capture, local media said on Saturday. Cliver Alcala turned himself in on Friday to the Colombians, who in turn handed him over to US authorities, the El Tiempo de Bogota newspaper said. Washington on Thursday indicted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and several current and former top government officials for "narco-terrorism" and offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Maduro's capture.
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| Trump tweets blame in all directions over ventilators for coronavirus, except at himself Posted: 27 Mar 2020 10:37 AM PDT  Hours after a Fox News interview in which he downplayed a national shortage of hospital ventilators to treat patients infected with the coronavirus, President Trump fired off a number of tweets Friday blaming General Motors and its CEO, Mary Barra, for not manufacturing more of them.
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| 4 passengers dead aboard cruise ship anchored off Panama coast Posted: 27 Mar 2020 03:59 PM PDT  Four passengers have died aboard a cruise ship now anchored off the coast of Panama and two people aboard the ship have tested positive for the coronavirus, the cruise line said Friday, with hundreds of passengers unsure how long they will remain at sea.
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| Dozens Clash on Hubei Border After China Lifts Virus Quarantine Posted: 28 Mar 2020 12:36 AM PDT |
| Coronavirus lockdown in India: ‘Beaten and abused for doing my job’ Posted: 27 Mar 2020 05:37 PM PDT  India's last-mile delivery executives are struggling to function as the country goes in lockdown.
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| South Korean coronavirus test kit makers win U.S. FDA pre-approval Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:38 PM PDT  Three Korean coronavirus test-kit makers have won preliminary approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), paving the way for kits to be exported to the United States to help it battle the largest outbreak of the virus. South Korea's foreign ministry said that winning the preliminary approval under emergency use authorization will allow the products to be sold in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump this week asked his Korean counterpart to supply the medical devices and promised to help Korean firms gain U.S. regulator approval.
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| Fauci said he's 'willing to bet anything' that people who recover from the new coronavirus are 'really protected from reinfection' Posted: 28 Mar 2020 08:45 AM PDT  "It's never 100%, but I'd be willing to bet anything that people who recover are really protected against reinfection," Fauci said in an interview.
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| States impose new restrictions on travelers from New York Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:23 PM PDT  States are pulling back the welcome mat for travelers from the New York area, which is the epicenter of the country's coronavirus outbreak, but some say at least one state's measures are unconstitutional. Governors in Texas, Florida, Maryland and South Carolina this week ordered people arriving from the New York area —including New Jersey and Connecticut — and other virus hot spots to self-quarantine for at least 14 days upon arrival. Connecticut officials have also pleaded with New Yorkers and others from out of state to avoid visiting unless absolutely necessary.
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| California Gov. Newsom commutes sentences for 21, including killers Posted: 27 Mar 2020 08:21 PM PDT  Fourteen of the commuted cases involved murder or related charges.
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| Dour Moscow mayor сomes to fore as 'PM for coronavirus' Posted: 27 Mar 2020 06:36 PM PDT  At a televised meeting with Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin flatly told the President that official figures on COVID-19 cases were far from the reality. After that reality check, the official narrative changed swiftly: Putin, who had called the situation "under control", on Wednesday gave a grim-faced address to the nation. "Putin signed up to Sobyanin's position," opposition politician Vladimir Ryzhkov said on the popular Echo of Moscow radio station.
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| China’s Lies, and Ours Posted: 27 Mar 2020 03:30 AM PDT  This is a tale of two governments. Both were faced with a potential disaster -- a new and deadly epidemic. Both made choices that the world will judge.China. The virus made its first appearance in a Wuhan "wet market," an emporium (apparently common in China) that featured live and newly slaughtered animals in close proximity. SARS and avian flu are also thought to have originated in these markets, which amount to an ongoing threat to global health.From the first reported case, on December 1, 2019, until January 5, 2020, the Chinese government engaged in a cover-up. As National Review's Jim Geraghty recounted, in early January, China's National Health Commission forbade reporting on the new disease. On December 30, Dr. Li Wenliang sent a message to other physicians warning that a SARS-like illness was spreading. He was arrested (along with six others) and obliged to apologize for "spreading rumors." (Dr. Li Wenliang died of COVID-19 on February 7.)Throughout early January, as cases mounted, the Chinese government issued soothing statements suggesting that the new pneumonia was not transmitted from person to person. As late as January 15, after Thailand and Japan had reported their first cases, official government sources were denying that human-to-human transmission had been proven, saying the risk was "low."Only on January 23, six weeks after the first case, did China announce a quarantine of Wuhan. By that time, millions had come and gone from the city during the busy holiday season, and cases had been reported in Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea.USA. President Trump engaged in a series of soothing statements himself. On January 22, after the first U.S. case was reported, he said "We have it totally under control." On February 2, he boasted that "we pretty much shut it down coming in from China." Twice in February, the president promised that "when we get into April, in the warmer weather — that has a very negative effect on that, and that type of a virus." On February 26, when cases topped 60, Trump claimed that "we're going very substantially down, not up." In South Carolina, on February 28, Trump likened criticism of his handling of the pandemic to impeachment, saying "this is their new hoax." On March 6, he continued this theme. Facing criticism for his false statement that "anyone who wants a test can get a test," Trump tried to string together a "fake news"/Ukraine theme. He said the tests were "beautiful," adding "The tests are all perfect, like the letter was perfect, the transcription was perfect, right?" Asked whether he was concerned about the virus's spread on March 7, the president said "No, we've done a great job."Throughout the first ten weeks of the pandemic, Trump praised China effusively, as The Bulwark's Jim Swift chronicled. On February 7, for example, Trump said: "Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!" A few days later, he shared with Fox News his view that "China is very, you know, professionally run, in the sense that they have everything under control. I really believe they are going to have it under control fairly soon."China. When the lies were no longer tenable, the Chinese government pivoted. Through their propaganda arms, they circulated videos of China building new "hospitals" (they were actually "prefab quarantine wards," not fully equipped hospitals) and fumigating public spaces. This was followed by grand gestures like donating millions of face masks to afflicted countries such as Spain, South Korea, Iran, and the Philippines. Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, shipped a million masks and half a million testing kits to the U.S.USA. When the lies were no longer tenable, President Trump pivoted. Two days after claiming that the disease was under control, Trump declared himself a "wartime president" and offered that "I've always known this is a real — this is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic." Trump began to appear daily at press conferences with public-health authorities -- a setting he controls, in which every participant must begin with fulsome praise of himself. He pivoted on China too, dropping the unctuous praise in favor of provocative blame.China. Relentless propaganda lauding Premier Xi's great leadership in fighting the coronavirus may succeed with many Chinese. Will the world remember the criminal dishonesty that arguably unleashed this pestilence?USA. By consistently downplaying and denying the seriousness of the threat, President Trump cost the American people precious time. By encouraging a false sense of security, he prevented the federal, state, and local governments from gearing up for the worst emergency we have faced in 100 years. Will the world remember the dishonesty that permitted this pestilence to hit us so very hard?© 2020 Creators.com
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| ‘It's a steep road ahead’: Sanders admits it's going to be tough to beat Biden but he won't stop trying Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:43 PM PDT  Bernie Sanders is continuing to assess the future of his presidential campaign as he lags behind Joe Biden in delegate count and has to face up to the challenge of running for office during the coronavirus pandemic.Speaking to NPR's Noel King on Morning Edition, Senator Sanders acknowledged that the path ahead would be challenging: "it's going to be a very steep road."
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| As coronavirus pandemic strains hospitals, many medical school grads can’t get jobs Posted: 27 Mar 2020 12:34 PM PDT  As the need for physicians has increased, each year — and this year is no exception — many qualified medical school seniors fail to acquire a residency position in a hospital, a requirement for beginning a practice.
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| Tom Coburn, GOP ‘Dr. No’ to Senate Democrats, Dies at 72 Posted: 28 Mar 2020 01:25 PM PDT |
| Coronavirus death toll in Italy's Lombardy rises by around 542 in a day: source Posted: 28 Mar 2020 09:14 AM PDT  The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of Italy's contagion, has risen by around 542 in a day to some 5,944, a source familiar with the data said on Saturday. The number of cases in the region, which includes Italy's financial capital Milan, increased by some 2,117 to roughly 39,415 the source said.
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| Prime Minister Boris Johnson is spending £5.7 million to write to all 66 million people in the UK, urging them to stay at home to fight coronavirus Posted: 28 Mar 2020 03:00 PM PDT  "The more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal," Johnson said in a letter
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| Born into a pandemic: A new father missed the birth of his twins; now he and his wife can’t visit them Posted: 28 Mar 2020 10:29 AM PDT  Coronavirus is forcing hospitals to make hard choices in keeping visitors out. A dad in Atlanta missed his twins' birth and their first days of life
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| NOT REAL NEWS: Debunking yet more false coronavirus content Posted: 27 Mar 2020 02:03 PM PDT  None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. CLAIM: Nancy Pelosi snuck $25 million worth of pay raises for Congress into the federal relief bill intended to help Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic. THE FACTS: A proposal in the economic rescue package sets aside $25 million for the House of Representatives but "none of those funds will go to member salaries," Evan Hollander, the communications director for the House Appropriations Committee, told The Associated Press.
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| Andrew Cuomo Says Trump’s Proposed New York Quarantine Would Be ‘Declaration of War’ Posted: 28 Mar 2020 10:34 AM PDT  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned against a quarantine of "hot spots" that President Donald Trump floated on Saturday, saying it would be nothing short of a "federal declaration of war" that would pit state authorities against the federal government. "It wouldn't just be New York, New Jersey, Connecticut. Next week it would be Louisiana with New Orleans, and the week after that it would be Detroit, Michigan, and it would run all across the nation. I don't think the president is looking to start a lot of wars with a lot of states just about now for a lot of reasons," Cuomo said in an interview with CNN. In addition to such a quarantine likely being illegal, Cuomo said, it would cause "chaos" and "mayhem" and only make matters worse during the coronavirus pandemic. The governor said he had not spoken with Trump after the president announced the possibility of a short-term enforced quarantine on "hotspots" of the novel coronavirus, including New York state, New Jersey, and some parts of Connecticut.Immediately after Trump voiced the proposal, Cuomo appeared frustrated with the idea of an enforced quarantine ("I don't know what that means") and said the president had not discussed the matter with him when they spoke on Saturday morning."I don't know how that could be legally enforceable and, from a medical point of view, I don't know what you would be accomplishing," Cuomo added. "I don't even like the sound of it, not even understanding what it is."Trump told reporters on the White House lawn on Saturday that he had spoken to Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had complained about New Yorkers traveling south—and bringing coronavirus with them."A lot of the states that are infected but don't have a big problem, they've asked me if I'll look at it so we're going to look at it," Trump said."We're thinking about certain things. Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it's a hotspot. We might not have to do it, but there's a possibility that sometime today we'll do a quarantine, short-term, two weeks on New York. Probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut. I'd rather not do it, but maybe we need it."The president doubled down on his suggestion in a tweet on Saturday afternoon and in remarks at a Virginia naval base, where he was seeing off the naval hospital ship, Comfort, that is heading to New York. "This does not apply to people such as truckers from outside the New York area who are making deliveries or are simply transiting through," Trump said. "It won't affect trade in any way." He added that "a decision will be made, one way or another, shortly." The question of whether the federal government has the power to impose restrictions on states has been a source of speculation since the virus has spread throughout the country.Federal laws give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the authority to prevent the spread of communicable diseases between states by limiting the movement of people who are "reasonably believed to be infected with a quarantinable communicable disease." However there is no law that grants the president authority to prevent an entire nation's movements, NBC News reported. Any attempt to do so would likely be challenged in court.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has expressed his support for a potential 14-day national shutdown to slow the spread of the virus. "I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing," Fauci said, stressing the importance of social distancing in the fight against the virus. The top infectious disease expert, however, has not provided any explanation for what such a plan could look like or how it could be carried out.Michael Ulrich, a public health law professor at Boston University, said the federal government would "have to be able to justify that some group is a credible threat to others, and that's an easier thing to do on an individual level." He added that it would be "a really hard thing to prove."Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), a former Republican who has been a fervent critic of Trump, questioned his power to implement such an order. "Under which authority?" Amash wrote on Twitter on Saturday. As of Saturday, New York reported at least 52,318 cases of the novel coronavirus, with over half in New York City and at least 7,328 in hospital. Coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 100,000 mark on Friday, making it the new global epicenter of the pandemic. New Jersey reported at least 8,825 cases of the virus, and 108 deaths as of Saturday, while Connecticut confirmed at least 1,291 cases and 27 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracker. 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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| Why the Strategic National Stockpile isn't meant to solve a crisis like coronavirus Posted: 28 Mar 2020 03:11 AM PDT  The country's largest repository of drugs and medical equipment is designed to be used as a stopgap — not a solution — during emergencies.
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| China's Wuhan, where the coronavirus emerged, begins to lift its lockdown Posted: 28 Mar 2020 02:25 AM PDT  The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged, began lifting a two-month lockdown on Saturday by restarting some metro services and reopening borders, allowing some semblance of normality to return and families to reunite. After being cut-off from the rest of the country for two months, the reopening of Wuhan, where the epidemic first erupted in late December, marks a turning point in China's fight against the virus, though the contagion has since spread to over 200 countries. Among those on the first high-speed trains allowed into the city on Saturday morning was Guo Liangkai, a 19-year-old student whose one-month work stint in Shanghai stretched to three months due to the clamp down on movement.
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