Italy plans to restrict movement throughout the entire country, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday, effectively locking down some 60 million people in an unprecedented move to contain the coronavirus. The announcement came a day after Italy imposed similar restrictions on one-quarter of the country.
Global markets tanked on Monday, fueled by coronavirus fears and a possible oil-price war. Oil prices fell harder than they have since the 1991 Gulf War, down 25 percent. Stocks tumbled around the world as more countries implemented measures to contain the outbreak, and the United States’ tally of known infections passed 600.
Here are the latest developments:
- More than 600 people in the United States have tested positive for the virus. Twenty-six people nationwide have died of the virus.
- Two Republican congressmen who interacted with Trump over the past week said they are quarantining themselves after coming into contact with someone who tested positive. Trump has not been tested for the virus because he has not had “prolonged close contact" with any known patients, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said, “nor does he have any symptoms."
- Ohio announced its first cases Monday afternoon — all in the Cleveland area. Patients are now being treated in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia.
- Boston is canceling its St. Patrick’s Day parade. More than 1 million people were expected to turn out Sunday for the 3.5-mile march. The event is in its 119th year and draws some of the largest St. Patrick’s Day crowds in the country.
- Prison riots have broken out across Italy, in one of the first visible signs of social turmoil linked to the coronavirus outbreak.
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Chinese leader Xi makes his first visit to Wuhan since coronavirus outbreak
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday morning on his first visit since the coronavirus outbreak began.
He arrived by plane for a visit to inspect “epidemic prevention and control” efforts, state broadcaster CCTV reported. He was due to visit medical workers and patients, army officers and soldiers, volunteers and community residents, it reported.
Previously Xi had dispatched the premier and a vice premier to Wuhan, and analysts were waiting to see when the leader himself would visit, viewing this as a sign that China considered the epidemic was fully under control.
There were only 19 new cases of the coronavirus reported on Tuesday, 17 of them from Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital.
Grand Princess passenger who was worried about cancer treatment makes it off the ship
Kari Kolstoe, a passenger on the Grand Princess, was among those who got off Monday after an uncertain wait.
Her situation was particularly fraught because Kolstoe, 60, said she has Stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer and was originally supposed to be back in Grand Forks, N.D., in time for treatment starting early this week.
Kolstoe had said while sitting in her room that she was also worried about being there due to her “compromised” situation. The waiting was difficult, she said, with periods of boredom and frustration as well as considerable back pain caused by the cancer.
Kolstoe was taken off the ship Monday afternoon and loaded onto a bus, along with her husband Paul, both wearing masks. The news that they were among those leaving the ship Monday came suddenly, Kolstoe said, but was followed by yet another wait outside.
They sat on the bus for about three hours before it finally began driving for Travis Air Force Base on Monday evening, she said.
Kolstoe did not know whether she would get her treatment at the base but was “just glad to be off the ship,” she wrote in a text message from the bus as it rumbled away from the port and, finally, away from the ship.
Five new cases reported in Washington, D.C., area
The D.C. region added five new cases late Monday night, bringing its total to 16.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced three new D.C. patients: a 39-year-old man who attends Christ Church Georgetown, where the rector has contracted the virus; a 77-year-old man who attended the Biogen conference in Boston that is connected to other cases across the country; and a 79-year-old man about whom no other information was released.
Christ Church said in a statement that its church organist, Tom Smith, tested positive for the virus. He and his husband are both under quarantine.
Meanwhile, Virginia authorities said the state has two new presumptive positive cases.
The first is the spouse of a Fairfax City resident who was among the state’s first confirmed cases. The couple traveled on the same Nile River cruise that has been linked to several cases of covid-19 in the United States, including three in neighboring Maryland.
The second is a Spotsylvania County resident in their 50s. State authorities did not say whether they had recently traveled overseas.
The news follows an announcement earlier Monday evening from Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), who said a resident of the county has also tested positive for the virus.
Trump has not been tested for coronavirus, White House says
President Trump has not been tested for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the White House said late Monday.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump has not had close contact with any known coronavirus patients and does not have any symptoms.
Questions about his possible exposure to the virus have abounded since the president was photographed shaking hands with Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union. Schlapp had direct contact with a man at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month who was later confirmed to have the virus.
At a news conference Monday, Trump walked away from reporters who asked whether he had been tested for the virus. Vice President Pence took the question, telling the pool he did not know but promising a response.
An answer from the White House came moments later. Grisham insisted the president did not need to be tested for the virus, citing federal guidelines that say patient symptoms and exposure history should dictate whether someone is tested.
“President Trump remains in excellent health,” Grisham said, according to a pool report, “and his physician will continue to closely monitor him.”
Maryland announces sixth case, the first from Prince George’s County
Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) announced on Monday that a resident has tested positive for the coronavirus.
She said a news conference would be held Tuesday morning.
Late Monday night, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said the individual contracted the virus during out-of-state travel, becoming the first person diagnosed with the virus in Maryland who was not infected overseas.
A spokesman for Hogan said the person is self-quarantined, not hospitalized.
“It’s a virus. It’s going to spread,” Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said from the dais Monday night after the governor announced the state’s sixth case. “We’re going to have more cases.”
Five out of six Republican lawmakers who came into contact with CPAC patient self-quarantine
After Republican leaders gathered for the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, D.C., new reports of possible contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient there have spurred most — but not all — to self-quarantine.
While the CPAC website lists 17 members of Congress as speakers for the event, only six have reported publicly that they had contact with the attendee who later tested positive for the coronavirus in New Jersey, according to the American Conservative Union, which puts on CPAC. The latest to announce he had interacted with the infected attendee was incoming White House chief of staff Rep. Mark Meadows (N.C.), who took a preliminary test, which came back negative, according to his spokesman Ben Williamson. Still, he opted to self-quarantine.
Confirming: Mark Meadows was advised this weekend that now 12 days prior at CPAC, he may have come in contact with the COVID-19 positive test individual. A precautionary test came back negative & he feels great. He’ll be self-quarantined till the 14 day period passes Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/lNuOlFYmzv
— Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) March 10, 2020
Other Republicans who have chosen to self-quarantine — Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Rep. Paul A. Gosar (Ariz.), Rep. Douglas A. Collins (Ga.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) — have also said they aren’t symptomatic.
Collins and Gaetz interacted with President Trump after the conference. Collins was pictured shaking hands with Trump during the president’s visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, and Gaetz flew back from Florida to Washington on Air Force One with Trump.
This afternoon, I was notified by CPAC that they discovered a photo of myself and the patient who has tested positive for #COVID19.
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) March 9, 2020
While I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution.
Full statement → pic.twitter.com/74oeaYOBYR
Hours after his flight, Gaetz said he would close his Washington office for the remainder of his quarantine.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told Fox News on Monday that the administration wasn’t concerned Trump would get sick, alluding to his famed germaphobia.
“The president of the United States, as we all know, is quite a hand washer,” she said.
Cruz tweeted that he shook hands and had a brief conversation lasting less than a minute with the patient. He said he would remain home in Texas until 14 days had passed from the interaction.
The only Republican congressman who has said publicly that he had close contact with the infected attendee but won’t quarantine himself was Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who cited a CDC physician’s advice in a tweet on Monday.
“He said he would return if he were me and advised that my staff and I should just be careful to observe proper hygiene protocols,” he wrote. “I took the advice of the expert and returned to work. No one is panicking and we are observing the recommended precautions.”
Congressman Gohmert's full statement on #COVID19: pic.twitter.com/jv9XcNfwbv
— Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) March 9, 2020
SEC becomes first major federal employer to ask people to work from home
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday asked employees at its D.C. headquarters to stay away from the office due to a potential coronavirus case, becoming the first major federal employer to turn to telework because of the spreading virus.
The email said an employee was treated for respiratory symptoms earlier Monday and was informed by a physician that the person could have the coronavirus. The worker had not been in the office since Thursday.
“To the best of our knowledge, the employee remained asymptomatic during the employee’s time in the building,” the email stated.
The agency‘s notice, which was emailed out shortly after 8 p.m., required employees working on the ninth floor of its D.C. office to stay home and encouraged all others to do the same.
“Even with increased telework, the SEC remains able and committed to fully executing its mission on behalf of investors, including monitoring market function and working closely with other regulators and market participants,” the agency said in a statement to The Post. The SEC has more than 4,000 employees across the country.
The SEC acts as one of the federal government’s primary regulators over the financial markets, which have been in upheaval as the coronavirus outbreak fanned new fears of a worldwide recession.
Read more here.
60 percent of residents at a Washington state nursing facility have tested positive
KIRKLAND, Wash. — Life Care Center of Kirkland, the Washington state nursing facility at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, said almost 60 percent of its current residents have tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Timothy Killian, a spokesman for facility, said Monday afternoon that the University of Washington informed the center Monday that 31 of the 53 residents have tested positive for the virus. Staff members had not yet been tested.
“These are residents inside the facility at this moment,” he said.
Killian said the university lab provided test results for 35 residents. One tested negative, and three others are inconclusive. All residents have been tested and he said they hope to receive the remaining results shortly.
The nursing home outside Seattle accounts for 19 of the region’s 20 deaths linked to the coronavirus. Killian said public health officials have not yet informed the center if they have identified the source of the virus or why it has proliferated here.
Killian said county health officials have asked Life Care to keep residents in the facility until their symptoms are acute, such as a 101-degree fever. Seven residents were showing symptoms Monday, he said, but none were serious enough to require transport to the hospital.
“Once symptoms hit a level of acute, where we feel we can no longer treat them, then we will transfer them to hospitals,” Killian said. “We don’t have an exact reason why. Our understanding, though, is that it’s about space within hospitals and other constraining factors that exist in other facilities.”
Life Care workers are moving residents who test negative for the virus to a smaller wing to separate them from those who have covid-19 in an effort to prevent them from becoming infected.
Biogen meeting linked to dozens of confirmed cases in four states
Dozens of coronavirus cases in several states have been linked to a company meeting of biotech giant Biogen in Boston in late February.
Most cases linked to the meeting, which was attended by about 175 people, are in Massachusetts. State health officials said Monday that 32 of the 41 infected patients in the state were either Biogen employees or close contacts of employees.
Two people in Indiana, five people in North Carolina and one person in New Jersey tested positive with coronavirus after attending the meeting.
Biogen has since informed all attendees to quarantine themselves and symptomatic employees to alert public health officials, the company said in a statement emailed to The Washington Post.
“We recognize that this is a difficult situation for our colleagues and their loved ones,” the drugmaker wrote. “We are actively working with all relevant departments of public health and hospitals to prioritize the well-being of the people who may have been exposed to COVID-19.”
The company said it asked office-based Biogen employees and contractors in Massachusetts, Research Triangle Park, N.C., and Baar, Switzerland, to work from home until further notice.
In addition to the cases associated with the meeting, one Biogen employee was tested positive after attending Cowen investment conference in Boston on March 2.
“This person will be supplying their close contacts to the public health authorities who will follow up,” the company said.
In addition, a Pennsylvania man who worked an exhibitor booth for Biogen at a conference in Florida also tested positive, Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said in a news conference on Sunday.
El Salvador embraces border measures before confirming any coronavirus cases
SAN SALVADOR — President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador announced over the weekend a ban on travelers from France and Germany, adding them to a list that already included China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, placing the Central American country ahead of its neighbors in the stringency of its reaction to the coronavirus epidemic.
Salvadoran nationals, including diplomats, returning from countries with travel bans will be quarantined for 30 days, the government said.
El Salvador has not confirmed any coronavirus cases. Neighboring Mexico and nearby Costa Rica have both reported cases but have not put travel bans in place.
The government took steps Sunday to sanitize El Salvador International Airport and brought in new equipment to check the temperatures of incoming passengers.
“We should implement measures to check symptoms and monitor the health of people entering El Salvador from any country that has reported cases of coronavirus,” Bukele tweeted.
Even before the president's announcement, international travelers going through customs were already receiving temperature checks and being asked to declare their travel history. On Sunday, three Salvadoran students who were studying in Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of the outbreak in China, returned to El Salvador after completing a quarantine period in Ukraine.
Nearly a third of Salvadorans live in poverty. Experts have warned that poor and marginalized populations are at heightened risk as the virus spreads.
Francisco Alabi, El Salvador’s deputy health minister, told reporters Monday that the lack of confirmed and suspected cases in the country meant there was no reason yet for Salvadorans to worry.
“People need to be calm,” he said.
The International Women’s Media Foundation provided support for this reporting as part of the Adelante Latin American Reporting Initiative.
Two more senior-living facilities near Seattle report coronavirus cases
SEATTLE — Two more senior-living facilities in the Seattle area have reported positive tests of covid-19, bringing the number of sites that tend to the elderly or infirm to five in the region.
In one case, the new positive test was for a staff member; in the other, both a staffer and resident had confirmed covid-19 diagnoses.
Emerald Heights in Redmond, Wash., about 15 minutes east of Seattle, disclosed Monday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified it Sunday that a “non-clinical staff member” tested positive for the virus. The company, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, said on its website the employee self-reported symptoms early last week and has not returned to work.
“In consultation with the CDC and acting on their guidance, all activities have been cancelled,” the company said on its website.
The facility has closed its dining rooms and will deliver meals to residents. It is also limiting visitation to only those deemed necessary.
Aegis Living Marymoor, also in Redmond, also acknowledged Monday that a female resident tested positive for the virus. She was tested as a precautionary measure "for what was believed to be an unrelated condition,” spokeswoman Nandi Butcher said in an emailed statement. After a few days of isolation, she returned to the hospital for continued medical care late Sunday.
The company said over the weekend that a staff member was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. That employee went home ill on Feb. 28 and has not returned to work.
The company said it has begun a “community-wide isolation,” and that all residents and staff have been “evaluated.”
The two facilities are about six miles southeast of Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., where at least 19 residents and visitors have died of the virus as of Monday afternoon, according to county public health officials. Two other facilities catering to seniors reported last week that some of their residents also tested positive.
Azar can’t say how many Americans have been tested
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar couldn’t say how many Americans had been tested for the coronavirus, but promised that more than 4 million tests would be available by the end of the week.
In a White House news conference Monday, Azar said officials didn’t know how many tests had been administered because many people were tested at hospitals and private labs, and the technology infrastructure to report those results directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not yet up and running. Azar said the CDC is “working to build IT connectivity with them.”
“Right now I could not give you a number of how many Americans have received a test,” he said.
Azar also said that private labs “are now validated and getting up and running.” He said that the involvement of private laboratories will create “a better patient and doctor and diagnostic experience” because physicians will be able to collect samples when patients are in their offices.
Azar said more than 4 million coronavirus tests will be available by the end of the week. He said there are currently 2.1 million tests available that are shipped or waiting to be shipped or ordered. There are currently more than 500 coronavirus cases in the United States, CDC Director Robert Redfield said.
Vice President Pence said, “I’ve had no recommendation that I be tested.”
The vice president told reporters that “we’ll get you a very direct answer” Monday night whether the White House physician believes the president should be tested.
Ohio announces first three cases of coronavirus
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) told reporters on Monday that three Ohio residents were confirmed to have the coronavirus.
“At this point, these individuals are being notified,” he said. "We would anticipate they would be notified and learn of this any moment or any minute.”
The infected, all in their 50s, are in Cuyahoga County, DeWine announced. One couple was on a cruise on the Nile. The third patient attended the AIPAC conference in Washington, D.C.
This afternoon we learned that three Ohioans have tested positive for #COVID19. It's important for us to take aggressive action to protect Ohioans, and therefore, I have declared a state of emergency in #Ohio.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 9, 2020
DeWine signed a state of emergency and canceled nonessential business travel for state employees.
He also said polling stations for Ohio’s March 17 primary that are located at nursing homes would be moved to avoid traffic in places where senior citizens are.
When asked about Democratic presidential rallies planned for former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Ohio, DeWine advised people to think before attending.
“I’m the last person to in any way to advise another politician what to do,” he said, “but I would simply say that a gathering of a lot of people is probably not a great idea. They have a right to do it, it’s their First Amendment, we’re not going to block people from doing that.”
White House will discuss economic relief package with Senate GOP leaders
President Trump said Monday night that White House officials will meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans about a possible economic relief package.
Trump said they will be “discussing a possible payroll tax cut or relief, substantial relief, very substantial relief, that’s a big number.” The president also said the group will discuss “hourly wage workers getting help, so they are never in position to lose a paycheck. . .so they don’t get penalized for something that’s not their fault.”
The president said administration officials also will be considering creating loans for small businesses, as well as meeting with representatives of the cruise ship industry and the hotel industry.
“The main thing,” Trump said, “is we are taking care of the American public.”
Two Republican congressmen who interacted with Trump over the past week said they are quarantining themselves after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a conservative political conference.
Trump did not answer questions about whether he has been tested for the coronavirus. Vice President Pence said he does not know if Trump has been tested. Pence said he has not been tested for the novel coronavirus.
For years, many companies have campaigned against sick pay
Marty Flynn knows Orlando’s restaurants. The son of a bartender, he’s 29 and already worked at six. Chili’s. Bahama Breeze. Crave. Johnny’s Hideaway. The Meatball Stoppe.
Now he’s a sushi chef.
“Every restaurant I’ve worked at, it’s been the same — no sick leave," Flynn said, just like it was with his mom, the bartender. “I remember being home alone as a kid because I was sick and she couldn’t take time off. You just have to work through it unless you’re dying.”
As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, major companies and business groups have put out hand sanitizer and discussed precautions they are taking to keep sick workers away from customers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised employers to “ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance.”
While most Americans say that businesses should offer sick pay, at least a dozen states, including Florida and much of the Southeast, have passed legislation since 2011 to block efforts to require medical leave. And even in liberal-leaning states that have passed sick-pay requirements, some companies sidestep the requirement by counting their workers not as employees but as contractors.
In Orlando, for example, voters overwhelming approved a measure that would have guaranteed that Flynn and thousands of other service workers in the tourist capital would get sick pay. But in 2013, according to Florida news reports, business lobbyists for Walt Disney World, Darden Restaurants and the Florida Chamber of Commerce pushed state officials to overrule the Orlando mandate.
Boston cancels St. Patrick’s Day parade
Boston’s iconic St. Patrick’s Day parade has been canceled over concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced Monday, in another sign of how the outbreak is upending major public gatherings.
“This decision is being made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep the residents of Boston safe and healthy,” Walsh (D) said in a statement.
More than 1 million people were expected to turn out Sunday afternoon for the 3.5-mile march through South Boston. The event is in its 119th year and has long drawn some of the largest St. Patrick’s Day crowds in the country.
More than 40 people in Massachusetts have tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, including 10 in Suffolk County, which encompasses Boston. Many of the cases were linked to a biotech conference in late February at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel.
Walsh said he decided to cancel the parade after consulting with local, state and federal lawmakers and the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, the group that organizes the annual parade.
“While the risk in Boston remains low, this situation is changing very quickly and we are closely monitoring any local cases,” the mayor said. “Our top priority is preventing any new cases, to the best of our ability, and we are paying close attention to guidance from public health officials.”
Bill de Blasio tells New Yorkers to work from home if they can
In a news conference Monday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio recommended that New Yorkers that could work from home should.
“For a business that can allow more employees to telecommute, we want you to do that,” he told reporters. “If you can do that, it’s a good thing to do.”
De Blasio said that it was advice and not mandatory, but that the city government “has the option to move to mandates if we get to that point.”
The same day as de Blasio’s news conference, Amazon recommended that employees who are able to work from home in New York and New Jersey should do so through the end of March, the company said in a statement to The Washington Post. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) The multinational technology company has already advised workers in Seattle, Bellevue, the Bay Area and Italy’s Lombardy region and Asti province to do the same.
De Blasio also announced eight new cases in the city since Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 20 in New York City.
Two of the new cases are in Manhattan, including Rick Cotton, who leads the New York and New Jersey Port Authority.
In the city, 24 people are in mandatory quarantine, while 2,019 are in voluntary quarantine, the mayor announced Monday.
He also said gave new numbers about testing: 205 tests have come back negative. There are 86 pending tests.
“Certainly I’m happy to see that only one out of every ten tests is coming back positive, but that is only one piece of information,” de Blasio said.
Oil price war threatens widespread collateral damage
The oil price war that Saudi Arabia launched against Russia sent crude prices into one of the steepest falls in history on Monday, compounding depressed global demand due to the coronavirus crisis and causing casualties for oil field workers, U.S. shale drillers, investors and members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that rely on oil to make their budgets add up.
Moscow’s refusal to cut its oil output by a half-million barrels a day shattered the unusual three-year marriage of OPEC, led by the Saudis, and major non-OPEC producers, led by Russia, as oil producers scrambled to find a way to respond to weakening global demand resulting from the deepening crisis over the novel coronavirus.
Saudi Arabia, angered by Moscow’s position, said Sunday that it would open its spigots and drive down prices, making this oil price cycle the only one in nearly a century to combine weak demand with a global price war.
Global markets opened down sharply Monday, with the leading benchmark varieties of crude tumbling more than 20 percent after other big falls in recent weeks. The price of West Texas Intermediate benchmark dropped to $31 a barrel by the end of the workday, down 25 percent. The drop was the steepest since prices plunged 35 percent on Jan. 17, 1991, the day the U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait.
One Maryland case linked to Turkey; a half-dozen additional residents are self-quarantined
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said one of the state’s two new coronavirus cases is linked to travel to Turkey, believed to be the first case that originated in that country, he said. The state’s other new case is linked to travel to Egypt and Thailand.
Additionally, six more residents are under self-quarantine Monday after officials learned they had traveled on the same Egyptian cruise ship where three other residents had contracted the virus. Two of the six have symptoms of coronavirus, and all will be tested for it. These passengers traveled during a different time period than the three Maryland covid-19 patients diagnosed last week.
Another 12 state residents, Hogan said, were passengers on the Grand Princess cruise that has been quarantined off the coast of San Francisco. None have exhibited symptoms, but all will be quarantined at a military base — either in Texas or Georgia.
Hogan, chair of the National Governors Association, said he spent 90 minutes Monday spent 90 minutes Monday in the White House Situation Room with Vice President Pence, who is overseeing the federal response, on a teleconference call with most of the nation’s governors.
“The vice president and federal health officials continue to stress that as we begin to expand our testing we can expect the number of cases to continue to rise and we will begin shifting from containment to mitigation,” Hogan said.
Hogan said there were no known cases of community transmission in Maryland, with all five cases linked to international travel. He said federal officials are considering following Florida’s lead to impose self-quarantine on all international travelers but said “it’s not a decision that we’ve made at this point” for Maryland.
Hogan announced he was canceling all out-of-state travel for state workers until further notice and said all state agencies should be prepared for extended periods of telework.
He stressed advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all adults over 60 to stay at home as much as possible and avoid large crowds, adding that the state was most concerned about older adults and people living in nursing homes.
The governor said Maryland officials were not recommending self-quarantine for the thousands of attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor last month, where a New Jersey person who later tested positive for the virus had visited. Hogan said the infected man had limited contact while he was at the event, a different scenario than the sick Episcopalian minister in the District who administered Communion and presided over four services last week.
Rhode Island becomes first state to compensate workers who are forced to quarantine
Rhode Island became the first state to promise workers unemployment insurance and temporary disability benefits if they need to stay home from jobs because of the new coronavirus, Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) announced Monday.
At a late afternoon news conference, Raimondo said the state had just adopted emergency rules, starting right away, that eliminate a usual seven-day waiting period for Rhode Islanders to start drawing on unemployment insurance or disability benefits.
The small New England state is one of few that already requires employers to guarantee sick leave. But the state promises five days of leave, while Raimondo notes that federal public health officials are recommending that anyone who is sick or thinks they may have been exposed to the coronavirus should quarantine themselves for a longer period of 14 days. That is the reason for the emergency changes to the benefits regulations, she said. “We want to make sure you get paid,” the governor said.
She also called on the federal government to provide more help. “No state will be able to handle this on its own,” Raimondo said. “And I don’t think it’s right for the federal government” to make states “shoulder the burden of compensation.”
Specifically, the governor called on President Trump to activate the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, which provides unemployment insurance when a president has declared a major national disaster. Those funds, Raimondo said, should be accessible to help people who are home from work now because they are observing quarantines or caring for someone who is.
Trump to headline gathering of Jewish Republicans this weekend despite virus spread
President Trump is headlining a gathering of Jewish Republicans this weekend in Las Vegas, an event that organizers said is going ahead despite the spread of the coronavirus.
Trump’s speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition is expected to draw about 2,000 on Saturday. The group’s chairman, former senator Norm Coleman (Minn.), told registrants in an email that “we take the safety of our attendees very seriously and at the same time fully expect to have the conference move forward as planned later this week.”
That passage was the only portion of Coleman’s email Sunday evening that was underlined.
There has been no “serious consideration” of canceling, RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said, and the White House has not asked for any changes to the event plan because of the virus.
The Republican Jewish Coalition represents a small but politically important constituency for Trump, who also addressed the group’s annual meeting last year. Trump’s administration calls him the most pro-Israel president ever. The president touts his support for Israel and uses his relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a regular applause line.
Sanders says President Trump’s ‘reckless statements’ on coronavirus have fostered confusion
Flanked by public health experts while speaking at a roundtable on coronavirus in Detroit on Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took several shots at the Trump administration’s response to covid-19, asserting that essential decisions and statements are being made “based on tweets that have no scientific basis.”
Sanders said people in the United States and around the world want to see an administration based on science — not “politics designed to protect the wealthy and powerful.” He cited specific comments that President Trump has made in recent days as coronavirus cases in the U.S. continue to climb, including the president’s assertion that he has a “natural ability” to understand the virus.
“Donald Trump does not have a natural ability to understand the coronavirus, and his reckless statements are confusing people in this country and all over the world,” Sanders said.
He took aim at Trump’s coronavirus task force, which is headed by Vice President Pence. He suggested Pence is not suited to be in charge and added that Trump’s team “should be a 100 percent nonpolitical task force led by the best scientists and experts, not politicians.” Sanders was also alarmed by Trump’s suggestion that people can go to work while infected with the virus can get better.
Trump has since argued that those comments were misconstrued.
“Here you have an incredibly infectious disease and the whole world is wrestling with the spread of that disease,” Sanders said. “To suggest to people that when you are sick you go to work might be the stupidest advice ever made by a president of the United States.”
Referencing the medical experts that surrounded him, Sanders stressed the importance of reliable health care. He noted that some people in the United States have refrained from going to the doctor because they cannot afford it, while others have continued to work even if they have shown symptoms.
Sanders punctuated his concern by referencing Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s previous remark that a potential coronavirus vaccine may not be affordable to everyone when it’s available.
“When the vaccine is developed … obviously it should be made free to every person in this country and every person in the world,” Sanders said.
U.S. Army’s top commander in Europe and staff members may have been exposed to virus
The U.S. Army said Monday that its top commander in Europe, Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, and several staffers may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus during a recent conference.
“He and others potentially affected are self-monitoring and working remotely to fulfill their command duties and responsibilities,” the Army said in a statement.
Army health officials have notified all other personnel who were potentially exposed and are consulting with medical professionals and host governments in Europe.
“Our nation, our Army, our allies and potential adversaries should know that our Soldiers remain ready,” the Army statement said.
Italy announces nationwide travel restrictions affecting 60 million people
ROME — Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday that Italy planned to restrict movement throughout the entire country, locking down some 60 million people in an unprecedented move to contain the coronavirus.
The decision, aimed at dramatically reducing travel within one of Europe’s most connected countries, shows the once-unthinkable steps that a Western democracy is willing to take amid the threat of the accelerating virus.
The move indicates that Italian policymakers have come to believe that hard-line measures are the best way slow the virus.
Entering this past weekend, Italy had imposed relatively minor movement restrictions — applying to 11 small towns with a total of 50,000 people — near the epicenter of the country’s outbreak. Then, early Sunday, Italy took its first drastic move against the virus, with Conte announcing a plan to lock down areas around the virus’s epicenter in the north, with travel restrictions applying to 16 million people.
It is now cutting off its citizens, no matter where they live, from most kinds of travel, including to other countries and from one region to the other.
There is a sense in Italy that the country is facing its greatest emergency since World War II. In recent days, the number of people to fall ill has accelerated, with active cases reaching nearly 8,000. In less than three weeks, 463 people have died.
Conte said Monday that it was necessary to expand the restrictions.
“I’m about to take a measure that we can summarize with ‘I’m staying home,’ ” he said in introducing the changes.
As part of the announcement, Conte said schools would be canceled until April 3.
“Our habits need to change,” he said. “They need to change now.”
Rep. Gaetz, a passenger with Trump on Air Force One, had contact with CPAC patient
A Florida congressman who flew on Air Force One with President Trump on Monday said he had come in contact with a CPAC participant who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said on Twitter he has not experienced symptoms but was tested Monday and expects results soon.
“Under doctor’s usual precautionary recommendations, he’ll remain self-quarantined until the 14-day period expires this week,” according to his Twitter feed.
The congressman said he was closing his Washington office while self-quarantining.
Gaetz traveled with Trump as the president flew from Florida to Washington, D.C., according to the White House pool report.
Gaetz attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland last month. He attracted attention when he wore a gas mask on the House floor as lawmakers approved an $8.3 billion aid package to deal with the virus.
Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote. pic.twitter.com/wjJ4YY4VZz
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 4, 2020
Separately, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) said in a statement Monday she was told she met with an individual last week who is now self-quarantining and has informed local public health officials. She wrote:
“I consulted with the Office of Attending Physician, the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], Ventura County Public Health, and a personal physician experienced in infectious diseases, all of whom said that the risk of exposure to me and my staff is considered very low.
“However, given the significant number of constituents and other individuals that my staff and I normally have contact with each day when Congress is in session, I have decided to close our DC office for the week. My staff and I are working remotely to continue to serve the residents of Ventura County, and my district offices in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard remain open.
“Out of an abundance of absolute caution, my DC staff and I are self-monitoring and maintaining social distancing practices. Neither I, nor my staff, are experiencing any symptoms at this time.”
French culture minister tests positive for coronavirus
PARIS — French Culture Minister Franck Riester tested positive for the novel coronavirus Monday, his office confirmed to Agence France-Presse. He is in “good shape,” his office said.
Riester, 46, had been present much of the past week presenting a bill in the National Assembly, where authorities have since confirmed a small cluster of coronavirus cases. As of Monday evening, five members of Parliament and two assembly employees had tested positive for the virus, French media have reported.
Riester’s infection immediately raised questions about his proximity to President Emmanuel Macron, who receives government ministers regularly. The Elysee Palace, the official seat of the French presidency, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Riester accompanied Macron on an official delegation to Naples in late February, toward the beginning of Italy’s epidemic. Italy is the undisputed center of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak, with 9,172 cases confirmed as of late Monday and 463 deaths. Most of those cases are concentrated in northern Italy, where about 16 million people have been placed on lockdown.
On Friday, after the first of those National Assembly cases were confirmed, Riester announced on his Facebook page that he had no symptoms at the moment but would be self-isolating and skipping planned public events out of an abundance of caution.
D.C. priest with coronavirus leads prominent, historic Episcopal parish
Christ Church Georgetown is usually known for things like sponsoring the posh neighborhood’s garden tour and being co-founded 203 years ago by Francis Scott Key, who wrote “The Star Spangled Banner.”
In an area flush with prominent residents and history, the 800-family Episcopal Church has both.
“It’s one of the most well-connected churches in Washington,” said Robert Devaney, editor of the Georgetowner newspaper, which covers the Northwest Washington neighborhood. “It’s a well-attended and respected church. They are an influencer in Georgetown.”
But this week, congregants are experiencing a different kind of news-making after their rector, the Rev. Timothy Cole, became the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the District. Health officials have asked hundreds of people who attended Christ Church services on March 1 — or who were at the church Feb. 24 or between Feb. 28 and March 3 — to self-quarantine because of their potential contact with Cole.
King County, Wash., announces more coronavirus cases and deaths linked to nursing home
KIRKLAND, Wash. — Public health officials in King County said Monday that there were 33 new cases of covid-19 reported in the area around Seattle, including two deaths. A third person who had previously been reported ill also died Sunday, bringing the total coronavirus-related deaths in the region to 20 — with 19 of them linked directly to a nursing home in Kirkland.
The three new deaths reported Monday were a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s, all of whom had been residents at Life Care Center, the nursing home that has been most seriously affected during the outbreak in Washington state. Public health officials said they are coordinating testing of all Life Care Center employees and prioritizing testing of employees who have symptoms consistent with covid-19. Life Care Center has tested all of its residents and is awaiting test results.
The number of confirmed reported cases in King County has risen to 116, according to county officials.
Also Monday, a spokeswoman for Kirkland said that a city firefighter has tested positive for the virus. Kirkland is a city of 90,000 on Lake Washington northeast of Seattle.
Officials received the positive test result Sunday, making it the first known positive test for a Kirkland first responder.
“Public health is currently in the process of determining whether the positive test was the result of contact with a patient or with the general public,” city spokeswoman Kellie Stickney said in a statement. “For the tests results that have been negative, first responders will still be in quarantine for the entire 14-day period recommended by Public Health Seattle-King County. We are still waiting for additional test results.”
Thirty-one firefighters — almost a third of the fire department — and three police officers remain in quarantine, officials said in a statement.
All police officers and firefighters who are exhibiting symptoms have been tested for the virus. Eight others have tested negative for the virus.
Six firefighters had no symptoms and completed the two-week quarantine period.
Officials said police and fire departments remain fully staffed and are using recommended protective equipment as they perform their duties.
The city also canceled all night meetings — except for City Council meetings — until the end of March. Officials already have canceled most recreational events and closed community centers to the public through March 31.
California announces state’s second coronavirus death
A woman with one of the country’s first confirmed person-to-person cases of covid-19 has died in Santa Clara County, Calif., marking the county’s first and the state’s second death in the outbreak, health officials said Monday.
The patient was in her 60s and had been hospitalized for several weeks, according to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. She died Monday morning at El Camino Hospital.
She hadn’t traveled overseas recently and did not have any known contact with someone already infected, meaning she probably contracted the disease from someone in the community, the department said in a statement.
“This is a tragic development. The Public Health Department is taking necessary, carefully considered steps to slow down the spread of the disease and to protect those at greatest risk,” Sara Cody, the county health officer, said. “We are facing a historic public health challenge and know this is a very difficult time. Our top priority continues to be protecting the health of our community.”
Santa Clara County, home to Silicon Valley, has reported two dozen confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. Infections first emerged in the county of 1.7 million people late last month and included some of the first cases of community transmission reported in the United States.
Southern District of New York bars entry to courthouses of those recently returned from some foreign countries
On Monday, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon in the Southern District of New York issued an order prohibiting entry to its courthouses in Manhattan and White Plains for those who have been in the following countries in the past two weeks: China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran. The order applies to parties in criminal and civil matters as well as people reporting for jury duty and any other visitor.
“These restrictions will remain in place temporarily until it is determined to be safe to remove them,” McMahon wrote in her order.
The policy followed an interruption in an economic sanctions trial last week due to a covid-19 concern. In that case, the court was notified that a juror who was not ultimately selected to sit on the panel attended synagogue the same day as another congregant who tested positive for novel coronavirus. The released juror, who was not identified, was asked to self-quarantine but did not have symptoms, according to U.S. District Court Judge Alison Nathan.
In response, the trial was moved to another courtroom while Nathan’s was sanitized. Although testimony had been interrupted mid-witness, the trial resumed after the panel took an early lunch break.
Rep. Collins to self-quarantine after interaction with infected CPAC attendee
Rep. Douglas A. Collins (R-Ga.) says he is self-quarantining after interaction with an individual at CPAC who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The Georgia congressman said in a statement Monday that he was notified by CPAC that it had discovered a photograph of him and the patient who tested positive for the virus.
“While I feel completely healthy and I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine at my home for the remainder of the 14-day period out of an abundance of caution. I will follow the recommendations of the House Physician and my office will provide updates as appropriate,” Collins said in a statement.
The congressman also was at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday when President Trump met with medical experts.
Collins is running for Senate in Georgia, seeking the seat of appointed Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R).
9th Circuit hearings canceled in certain West Coast federal appeals cases
The sprawling federal appeals court based in San Francisco canceled hearings this week in certain cases because of concerns about “community spread” of the coronavirus. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which holds hearings in Seattle; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; Pasadena, Calif.; Anchorage; and Honolulu, called off all oral argument for cases involving a full “en banc” panel of judges, and said additional cancellations were possible next week.
The court will continue to hear oral arguments sitting in three-judge panels, but officials said lawyers scheduled to appear in those cases could file requests to appear remotely for any hearing.
“We will be assessing the situation early next week and we will post a notice here concerning additional cancellations and/or changes in scheduling or overall operations,” according to a statement on the court’s website.
In addition, the court announced the postponement of an April 1 educational program in appellate advocacy scheduled to take place at the courthouse in Seattle because of similar concerns.
Grand Princess cruise ship carrying coronavirus patients docks in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. — Passengers cheered as the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship pulled into port in Oakland on Monday.
“Thank you!” shouted one passenger. Others waved at the dockworkers.
The ship is docking two days after its scheduled arrival in San Francisco, and its 3,500 passengers and crew members are set to be evaluated upon arrival. The roughly 1,100 crew members will be quarantined on board. California passengers will be taken to military bases in the state for quarantining, while other U.S. residents will be taken to military bases in Texas and Georgia.
Officials said Friday that 21 of the 46 people tested on the ship came back positive for the coronavirus, indicating that the illness could be spreading on the ship. Nineteen of those who tested positive were part of the crew.
Read more here.
Canada announces first coronavirus death
TORONTO — Canada reported its first death from the novel coronavirus Monday, as public health officials urged Canadians to avoid all cruise ship travel and the number of cases in the country continued to climb.
Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer of British Columbia, told reporters that a male resident in his 80s at the Lynn Valley care home in North Vancouver had died Sunday night. He had several underlying conditions, she said.
“This is obviously a very sad day for all of us,” Adrian Dix, the province’s health minister, told reporters, “but especially for the family and loved ones of the man who passed away.”
Public health officials announced an outbreak at the long-term care facility over the weekend, after two residents and a health-care worker tested positive for the virus.
The health-care worker, who is Canada’s first case of community transmission, is believed to have contracted the virus at work, Henry said. Officials are still investigating how the virus got into the care facility.
Earlier in the day, Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, advised Canadians to avoid traveling on cruise ships because the frequent interaction between passengers in confined spaces can accelerate the spread of the virus.
“The risk to the general population remains low, but this could change rapidly,” Tam said. “We are most concerned for Canada’s vulnerable populations."
There are more than 70 people in Canada across four provinces who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Maryland patient, 86, and her family self-quarantined after coronavirus diagnosis
In Harford County, which on Sunday was announced as the home of one Maryland’s five coronavirus patients, Schools Superintendent Sean W. Bulson said schools will stay open but he instructed principals not to schedule any additional public events and to consider suspending perfect-attendance awards.
“We want to encourage people to stay home when they’re sick and be in school when they’re healthy,” he said at a news conference.
Local officials also offered additional details on the patient, who they said was an 86-year-old woman.
The woman traveled internationally and went straight from the airport to her home, where she stayed for six days before showing any symptoms. After she felt fatigued and experienced other symptoms for six days, she went to a hospital, where she was eventually diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
“She did not leave her house, she did not come in contact with people except for her immediate family, who have shown no symptoms and are being asked to self-monitor and self-quarantine for 14 days,” Harford County Health Officer Russell Moy said at a news conference.
“At this time, we feel fortunate that the patient, on her own, basically chose to take all the actions that public health officials would have routinely recommended anyway,” he said.
Moy said state health workers were leading the investigation into the woman’s contacts, and he did not share which country she visited or which airport she used.
“We are hopeful based on the information that we currently have, that there will be no community mitigation recommendations issued by the Maryland Department of Health,” Moy said.
Coronavirus raises concerns about lack of paid sick leave
As the coronavirus spreads, public health experts are urging people who are sick to stay home, but that can be a life and death decision for low-wage workers without paid sick leave, Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and David Trone (D-Md.) — both longtime businessmen — said Monday on a call with reporters.
A bill, introduced by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), would require all employers to allow workers to accrue seven days paid sick leave and to immediately make 14 days of sick leave available at the start of a public health emergency.
Beyer is the former owner of car dealerships in Northern Virginia, and Trone co-founded Total Wine & More, which has 7,000 employees nationwide.
“This is good, business-friendly legislation,” Trone said. “If we spend money to take care of our team, if we take care of our people, the business itself will be more successful. It helps keep our overall health-care costs down.”
He noted that some states, including Maryland, require workplaces with more than 15 employees to provide paid sick leave. There are no Republican co-sponsors of the federal bill, DeLauro said.
The bill is part of a larger package of legislation called the Healthy Families Act, which will have a hearing in a House Education and Labor subcommittee this week.
CVS to waive prescription home delivery charges
CVS is waiving prescription home delivery charges in an effort help customers who are infected with covid-19 or are at higher risk of contracting it avoid having to go to a pharmacy, the company announced Monday.
The fee waiver is effective immediately, but company officials did not immediately respond to questions about how long the policy would remain in effect.
“The latest steps we’re taking will help ensure patients of all ages have every option available to them when it comes to filling prescriptions,” Troyen Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Health, said in a statement Monday.
CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in America, has announced several policy changes largely affecting Aetna, the CVS-owned health insurer, amid the growing coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. Last Friday, the company announced that it would waive Aetna co-pays on any diagnostic tests for covid-19 or telemedicine visits, and was increasing refill limits so that patients can stock up on crucial prescriptions in the event of home quarantine.
FDA and FTC crack down on fraudulent coronavirus treatment claims
The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to seven companies accusing them of marketing illegal, unapproved drugs and making deceptive or scientifically unsupported claims. It was the first time the agencies took such action involving products being touted for the coronavirus.
The targeted products include teas, essential oils and colloidal silver.
Currently, the federal authorities noted, there is no cure or treatment for covid-19; treatments and vaccines are in the early stages of development and haven’t been fully tested for safety and effectiveness. The only treatment available is supportive care — such as providing oxygen for individuals who are having trouble breathing.
The companies that got the letters included the Jim Bakker Show, which last week was warned by the New York Attorney General about claims made on the show about Silver Solution, a scientifically dubious medication made from the precious metal. The Rev. Jim Bakker, a longtime televangelist and salesman, has promoted the gel. Lisa Landau, chief of the prosecutor’s health care bureau, last week accused the Bakker show of making misleading claims and ordered it to stop.
Other companies warned by the FDA and the FTC were GuruNanda; Vivify Holistic Clinic; Herbal Amy; Xephyr, doing business as N-Ergetics; Vital Silver; and Quinessence Aromatherapy.
Read more here.
U.S. Navy boot camp says guests won’t be allowed at graduation, citing virus fears
The U.S. Navy’s boot camp is suspending guest attendance at its graduation ceremonies over fears of coronavirus, the organization said Monday, as schools around the country rethink the wisdom of the large gatherings that mark daily life and end-of-year traditions.
Graduations will be live-streamed on Facebook and other online platforms beginning March 13, the Navy said.
Officials will “continue to monitor the situation and consult with medical experts to decide when it is appropriate to resume” having guests, the Navy Recruit Training Command (RTC) said in a Facebook post, attributing the decision to an “abundance of caution.”
A host of universities are closing temporarily to disinfect buildings or are moving to virtual instruction. They are following the lead of the University of Washington, which said last week it would not hold in-person classes or exams for the remainder of the quarter.
The changes extend outside hard-hit Washington state, where an outbreak at a nursing home has led to most of country’s recorded deaths due to coronavirus.
Princeton University said Monday that classes will be held online, and it is even encouraging students to consider staying home after spring break. Stanford University canceled in-person classes for the final two weeks of the quarter, leaving students uncertain what the rest of the school year holds. And Columbia University canceled classes Monday and Tuesday in preparation for a shift to online classes.
Israel requires all international arrivals to go into two weeks of quarantine
Israel said it would mandate a two-week quarantine for anyone arriving on international flights, a sweeping expansion of restrictions that critics said were at least partly driven by fear of singling out U.S. travelers and angering President Trump.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video, said all visitors and Israeli residents arriving at Ben Gurion Airport over at least the next two weeks must to proceed to 14 days of isolation. Israel’s Ministry of Health did not immediately explain how the restrictions would work, especially for nonresidents.
“This is a tough decision, but it is essential to maintain public health,” Netanyahu said, “and public health precedes everything.”
The new restrictions, which would be among the strictest in countries battling the outbreak, come as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections reached 42 across Israel. More than a dozen new cases emerged Sunday and Monday.
Among the new infections was the country’s first reported case that could not be traced to international travel or exposure to a known infected person, raising the possibility of an accelerating spread in the general population.
Officials announced a range of ramped-up measured to combat the widening outbreak, including plans to close crossings from Jordan, bar noncitizens from the emerging infection zone of Egypt and reduce movement to and from the West Bank.
The discussions of a blanket quarantine requirement for international passengers to be isolated arose after several days of confused public messages in which health and political imperatives seemed to collide.
Israel already mandates quarantine for anyone arriving from several hot-spot countries, including Italy, Japan and South Korea. Health Ministry officials were reportedly preparing to add to that list travelers arriving from New York, California and Washington state, the centers of the growing U.S. outbreak.
But citing sources within the Ministry of Health, multiple local media outlets reported that Netanyahu objected to those recommendations out of fear they would anger Trump. The president, a close Netanyahu ally, has downplayed the seriousness of the epidemic, railing against “fake news” hysteria that he blames on media and Democratic enemies.
Louisiana reports first presumptive positive, calls risk to public low
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced the state’s first presumptive positive case of covid-19 Monday, joining the growing list of more than 30 states to report infections.
The patient was described only as a Jefferson Parish resident who is hospitalized in Orleans Parish. The patient’s test results are pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control.
“Encouragingly, we were able to test this patient due to recently broadened criteria,” Stephen Russo, interim secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, said in a statement Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether health officials knew how or where the patient contracted the virus.
Edwards said the state has been preparing for cases to emerge and described the overall risk to Louisianans as low.
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo announces state-made hand sanitizer — made by prison program critics call ‘slave labor’
New York is producing its own line of hand sanitizer to combat price gouging and supply shortages that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) has warned could threaten the state’s ability to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Cuomo debuted the “NYS Clean” hand sanitizer during an at-times freewheeling news conference Monday in which he made reporters guess what was behind a curtain before dramatically unveiling a stack of green labeled bottles.
“It’s much cheaper for us to make it ourselves than to buy it on the open market,” Cuomo said, calling NYS Clean “superior” to other products on the commercial market due to its 75 percent alcohol content (most commercial hand sanitizers have about 60 percent) and its “nice floral bouquet.”
The governor said it costs about $6 a gallon to produce — a low price that could stem from the fact that NYS Clean is made by Corcraft, described by the state as the “brand name” for the Division of Correctional Industries. The controversial operation has been criticized as prison slave labor on account of the pittance wage — as little as 16 cents an hour — lack of labor protections and the fact that prisoners can face discipline if they disobey the order to work.
Cuomo said the state was working to produce 1,000 gallons a week, which would be provided to municipal entities such as schools, hospitals, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and state prisons.
Cuomo said the priority was to get the new hand sanitizer to parts of the state hardest-hit by the outbreak, such as the town of New Rochelle, the center of the outbreak in Westchester County, which as of Monday reported nearly 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Citing reports that people were panic-buying products and inflating the price of hand sanitizer to as much as $80 a bottle, Cuomo has called price gouging a particularly egregious development from the coronavirus outbreak and has warned local and global e-commerce sites they could face state penalties for letting price gouging go unchecked.
“To Purell, Mr. Amazon and Mr. eBay, if you continue price gouging, we’ll introduce our product — which is superior to your product, and you don’t have the floral bouquet,” Cuomo said. According to New York law, Corcraft products can only be sold to state entities and charities.
CDC: Elderly Americans with underlying conditions should avoid travel, stockpile essentials
Older Americans, especially those with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, should refrain from unnecessary travel, avoid crowds and stockpile essential supplies and medicines as the coronavirus continues to spread, a top official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
“The reason to stock up now is so that you can kind of stick close to home,” said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
Evidence from China’s epidemic shows that the virus rarely causes serious illnesses in children and younger adults who are healthy. But people over 60, and especially those over 80, have worse outcomes. Younger people with underlying health problems are also at greater risk. The people most vulnerable are older people with a health problem, Messonnier said.
She personalized the message: “My parents are in their 80s. They’re not in an area where there is currently community transmission. But I’ve asked them to stick close to home.”
The nation’s top health officials have steadily ratcheted up their warnings as the covid-19 disease caused by the coronavirus continues to spread. Messonnier’s guidance Monday was the most direct statement yet targeting the actions and movements of people who, based on evidence coming out of China, are most vulnerable to having a serious outcome if they become infected with the virus.
“We are recommending avoiding crowds,” she said.
The CDC has more information about the coronavirus on its website, including a discussion of who is at highest risk from the virus and what steps people in those high-risk groups should take.
“If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is extra important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease,” the CDC states.
One key recommendation: “Determine who can provide you with care if your caregiver gets sick.”
Grand Princess captain tells passengers disembarking will take ‘the next few days’
With the Grand Princess expected to arrive at a port Monday after days of uncertainty, the ship’s captain reminded passengers that the wait would continue for many on board.
There are more than 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the ship, which has been lingering off the California coast since late last week. The ship is expected to dock at the Port of Oakland at midday before officials begin taking passengers off and shuttling them to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia for quarantine. But even with some answers — and the shoreline — in sight Monday, some passengers were reminded that they will remain on board even longer.
“We expect a phased disembarkation process to take place over the next few days,” John Harry Smith, the ship's captain, said in an announcement Monday morning to passengers, a recording of which was shared with The Washington Post by a passenger. “Priority disembarkation today will be given to guests with more urgent medical needs."
Smith also said the cruise ship was going to receive additional prescription medication and would distribute that accordingly.
Princess Cruises also said Monday that because of “the extraordinary circumstances onboard Grand Princess,” the company would refund the cruise fare paid by guests and not charge them for “any onboard incidental charges” during their extra days stuck aboard the ship.
Unlike the passengers, crew members are going to remain quarantined and treated aboard the ship, officials have said. California authorities have stressed that the ship will leave Oakland quickly and go somewhere else for this period.
Smith, in his announcement Monday morning, urged passengers to pack carefully, noting that the cruise line might not be able to return things left behind “in a timely manner, if at all.”
Coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess set to dock in Oakland within hours
The coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship is set to dock in Oakland, Calif., at noon Pacific time, two days after its scheduled arrival in San Francisco, with travelers set to be evaluated upon arrival and then taken for monitoring to sites within that state and Texas.
Port of Oakland spokesman Robert Bernardo confirmed that the ship was scheduled to arrive at that time and said it was expected to pull into the former Ports America site, now known as Outer Harbor, in the West Oakland area.
By Monday morning, the ship was stopped about 20 miles off the coast of San Francisco, according to marine traffic websites.
Officials said Friday that 21 of the 46 people tested on the ship came back positive for the coronavirus, indicating that the illness could be spreading within the ship’s 3,500 passengers and crew members. Nineteen of those who tested positive were part of the crew.
Second Seattle-area nursing facility seeing a rise in coronavirus cases
SEATTLE — A nursing facility in Issaquah, Wash., has disclosed that three of its residents have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Issaquah Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is about 20 miles south of Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., where at least 16 residents and visitors have died of the virus, according to county public health officials. The Issaquah facility first disclosed Friday on its website that a resident had tested positive for the virus. Over the weekend, the number of cases climbed to two and then three, according to the company’s website.
“They were diagnosed at the hospital and remain in the hospital,” the facilty administrator, Lisa Stubenrauch, said via email.
According to its website, all three are being treated at the unnamed hospitals where they were transferred earlier in the week. The Issaquah facility only disclosed the cases after testing confirmed that the patients had the coronavirus. Issaquah is 17 miles east of Seattle.
The company said that it is in contact with health authorities, and that physicians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited the facility Saturday to observe and assess cleaning and care.
“We have allowed them full access to our facility and we welcome any recommendations they have to further protect our residents and staff,” the company said on its website.
CDC officials also responded to employee questions, the company said.
Meanwhile, as the virus swept through the Life Care Center to the north, the number of residents there fell to 55 on Sunday as more were taken to a hospital. That’s down from 120 on Feb. 19. Life Care also said that 70 of the 180 staffers there are showing signs of having the coronavirus.
Virginia announces third case, says risk to public remains low
An Arlington County resident has tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing Virginia’s total number of cases to three.
The patient is in their 60s and developed symptoms related to the virus after returning from international travel, state authorities said Monday. Like the other two cases in Virginia, a U.S. Marine being treated at Fort Belvoir and a Fairfax City man in his 80s, the Arlington resident had “limited contact” with others while ill, officials said. The risk to the general public remains low.
As of Monday morning, there are 10 patients in the D.C. area with the covid-19 illness.
Sanders says coronavirus vaccine will be ‘absolutely free’ for all Americans if he is elected president
At a campaign rally in St. Louis on Monday afternoon, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) seized on Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s recent remark that he can’t promise that any potential coronavirus vaccine will be available to the public at an affordable price.
Sanders didn't mention Azar by name at the rally. But he noted that “Trump's people” have said they can't guarantee the affordability of any vaccine, prompting boos from the crowd.
“I mean, this is how sick the system is. So let me tell you, [when I’m] elected president, everybody in this country will get that vaccine absolutely free,” Sanders said to cheers from the audience. “And should anybody — is that a radical statement? I mean, that is the most obvious statement that anybody could make.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield plans join list of insurers guaranteeing that customers can afford coronavirus testing
The private health insurance industry continues to take steps to ensure that costs do not deter customers from getting tested for the new coronavirus.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has announced that the three dozen companies in its network will cover the full expense of any “appropriate, medically necessary diagnostic testing for COVID-19,” the disease caused by the virus. The association said in a statement that the Blues also will eliminate the requirement for patients to get prior permission from their insurer for such tests or for any related care that is required if they turn out to be infected.
In addition, the association said it will make it easier for customers to get prescriptions before a 30-day supply of pills is close to running out. And if certain drugs become scarce, because of manufacturing disruptions related to outbreaks in other countries, Blue Cross Blue Shield companies will loosen their formularies — that is, the list of drugs that their health plans typically cover.
Several other major insurers announced similar steps late last week. Federal health officials have made clear that Medicare and Medicaid will cover coronavirus testing, but the government has not taken any steps to address the question of affordability for the about 27 million people in the country who are uninsured.
‘I wish he would just be quiet,’ Biden says of Trump’s coronavirus response
As Trump tweeted dismissively about the coronavirus and ignored public health officials’ advice Monday morning, one of the Democrats seeking to oust him in November had some advice for the president: Stop talking.
“I wish he would just be quiet,” former vice president Joe Biden said in an interview with MSNBC. “I really mean it — that’s an awful thing to say about a president, [but] I wish he’d be quiet. Just let the experts speak and acknowledge whatever they suggest to him is what we should be doing.”
Biden, who is battling Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democratic presidential nomination, argued that Monday’s stock market rout was a reflection of the public’s lack of trust in the president.
“I think there’s no confidence in the president, in anything he says or does,” Biden said. “He turns everything into what he thinks is of political benefit for himself, and he’s actually imploding in the process. But there’s a lot of innocent bystanders that are being badly hurt.”
Germany reports first two coronavirus deaths as health authorities warn more will follow
BERLIN — Germany reported its first two coronavirus deaths Monday, just as health authorities warned the public to brace for more.
Two people in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia died Monday, the regional health ministry said, one in the western city of Essen and another in the district of Heinsberg about 50 miles southwest. A spokesman said he couldn’t provide further details on ages or whether they had underlying heath conditions. The first German national with coronavirus died Sunday in Egypt, but was reported to have already been sick when he arrived there.
With more than 1,000 positive cases and no deaths recorded in the country until Monday morning, Germany had appeared to have been an outlier when it came to coronavirus outbreaks across the globe. But in a news conference Monday, just before the first fatalities were announced, health officials warned that the death rate would pick up in the coming weeks. While for most patients the symptoms are relatively mild, for around 20 percent of patients, particularly the elderly and those in weaker health, it is more serious. For them, the most serious health complications develop later in the disease’s progression, and German doctors say that’s still to come.
Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn on Monday said that medical facilities need to be prepared for a large number of patients who will need intensive care and ventilators.
“We have already seen in other countries that good health systems can quickly become overwhelmed as soon as the virus spreads,” said Spahn. “The more we can slow down the spread the better, because then our health system will be able to handle it better. That’s the goal.”
Riots reported at multiple prisons in Italy, amid turmoil linked to coronavirus restrictions
ROME — Prison riots have broken out across Italy, leading to at least one reported instance in which 20 inmates managed to escape, in one of the first visible signs of social turmoil linked to the coronavirus outbreak, according to police and prison union officials, as well as Italian media reports.
The riots, which began Saturday and continued to escalate on Monday, stem from restrictions that have been put in place against visitors to limit the spread of the coronavirus — chiefly the suspension of visiting hours and drastically reduced time out of cells.
By midafternoon, unrest was reported in 27 Italian prisons, according to ANSA, the Italian news agency.
The coronavirus-related restrictions were the “straw that broke the camel’s back” in places with already-high tensions, said Gennarino De Fazio, a union leader for prison guards. De Fazio described “grave problems” in prisons across the country, including in Naples, Modena, Foggia, Frosinone, Milan, Palermo and Modena.
ANSA reported that 20 prisoners had managed to escape from the prison in Foggia, which is in the southern region of Puglia, after tearing apart a gate. The news agency said that 50 inmates had managed to escape initially, and 30 of them were apprehended. Law enforcement officials told shop owners in the vicinity to shutter.
Former Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini said on Twitter that the breakout in Foggia had been “dramatic.”
“We need an iron fist now: the closure of all cells, the suspension of leave and walks, and those who do wrong will pay double,” he said.
In a prison in Milan, some prisoners had climbed onto a roof, and videos showed flames coming from a part of the building.
In the prison of Modena, which is in Italy’s newly enlarged restricted-entry zone, six prisoners died on Sunday after breaking into an infirmary and overdosing on drugs, according to Stefano Totaro, a local journalist for the Gazzetta di Modena. Totaro said the prison had sustained extensive damage, but that nobody had escaped.
In a Facebook post, a former Italian justice minister, Andrea Orlando, said that the virus had “tipped the balance” inside the prisons, where overcrowding is also part of the problem.
How a major U.S. hospital prepared for the coronavirus
BOSTON — As the Massachusetts General Hospital team met over its response and preparations to the coronavirus, more than 3,000 people had died around the world and cases of covid-19, the illness from the novel coronavirus, were climbing across the United States — and in Massachusetts.
Mass General is a renowned medical center with just over 1,000 beds and top research facilities, the kind of place many patients want to be in when something terrible happens. Yet in a sign of the enormous challenge covid-19 poses to the health-care system, even emergency-response teams here were bracing for an outbreak that seemed increasingly likely to test staff and resources.
At the ground level — observed during several days last week at Mass General and in interviews with key planning leaders — teams were working long hours to handle challenges the White House was playing down or insisting did not exist.
Each federal pronouncement has had implications for dozens of doctors, nurses and other staffers crowded into a small conference room to run through contingencies.
Read more here.
Saudi Arabia expands list of banned countries; Lebanon announces new cases
BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia will not allow flights to or from Oman, France, Germany, Turkey and Spain, adding them to a list it put out earlier Monday to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus in the Gulf countries.
The kingdom had announced it will halt flights to and from nine countries, including its Gulf neighbors — the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain — as well as Italy, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq, according to a statement carried by the Saudi state news agency SPA.
The statement said the ban covers people from the listed countries and people who had been in any of those countries 14 days earlier. Also, Saudi Arabia suspended all land and air travel between it and those countries but made exceptions for evacuation, shipping and trade.
Saudi Arabia also closed all schools and universities, public and private, until further notice. Last week, it paused offseason pilgrimage to Mecca by its citizens and tourists — a decision that, if extended, is likely to affect millions of Muslims planning to make the main pilgrimage in late July.
Head of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey tests positive for coronavirus
Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) confirmed during a news conference Monday.
“He is going to be on quarantine. He’ll be working from home,” Cuomo said.
The governor praised Cotton’s work at busy international transit hubs, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, during the coronavirus outbreak. The number of cases in New York has grown to more than 150.
The senior team that works closely with Cotton also will home-quarantine, Cuomo said.
Thursday’s Olympic torch-lighting ceremony will go on without spectators for first time since 1984
The Olympic torch-lighting ceremony on Thursday for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics will go on without spectators, organizers said.
This is the first time since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that the ceremony will be held without spectators lining on the slopes of the ancient stadium in the tiny Peloponnesian town of Olympia, where the Games originated.
“Only 100 invited and accredited guests” will be allowed to attend the lighting of the Olympic flame, the Greek Olympic Committee said in a statement, according to Reuters. “The dress rehearsal on March 11 will be closed to spectators and media.”
After the torch lighting, there will be a seven-day relay, ending with a handover ceremony March 19 in Greece. The Japanese leg of the torch relay will begin its four-month journey through Japan’s 47 prefectures on March 26 in Fukushima.
Read more here.
Trump shakes hands with supporters in Orlando, flouting health experts’ advice
President Trump landed in Orlando on Monday morning for a fundraiser — and proceeded to ignore public health professionals’ advice that older Americans should limit person-to-person contact.
As he made his way off Air Force One and toward the presidential motorcade, Trump greeted supporters gathered on the tarmac, shaking hands with many of them.
In an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had advised senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions to distance themselves from crowds and avoid traveling by air or cruise ship.
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams delivered a similar message on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”
“We know that the average age of people who are needing medical care and advanced medical care is 60-plus,” Adams said Sunday. “And so, what we’re telling folks is that if you’re in an at-risk group, meaning you’re elderly and/or you have comorbidities — heart disease, lung disease, you’re immunosuppressed for whatever reason — that you should be taking extra precautions not to put yourself in a situation where you may be exposed.”
Israel tightens restrictions, may mandate quarantine for all international arrivals
Israel moved Monday to tighten its borders and further restrict movement amid its widening outbreak, preparing to close its border with Jordan, barring Egyptians and raising the possibility of quarantining every traveler who arrives on an international flight.
The moves come as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections reached 39 across Israel, with more than a dozen new cases emerging Sunday.
Among them was the country’s first reported case that could not be traced to international travel or exposure to a known infected person, raising the possibility of an accelerating spread in the general population. Israel has reported no deaths from the disease to date.
In the neighboring West Bank, 20 cases of viral infection have been reported, mostly around Bethlehem, which has been sealed off for almost a week. That outbreak is centered on the Angel Hotel, where a Greek tourist had stayed who later tested positive for the virus.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are working closely on expanding coronavirus testing in the territories, according to both governments, in an attempt to keep the West Bank’s underfunded medical system from being overwhelmed. Quatar gave $10 million to make a Bethlehem hospital coronavirus-ready, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Monday.
The discussions of a blanket quarantine requirement for international passengers to be isolated arose after several days of confused public messages in which health and political imperatives seemed to collide.
The Ministry of Health was reportedly preparing add those flying from New York, California and Washington state — centers of the growing U.S. outbreak — to the list of countries from which travelers must quarantine themselves for two weeks upon arrival.
But health officials, speaking anonymously, told local media outlets that the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu objected, reportedly out of fear that adding U.S. travelers would anger President Trump, who has downplayed the significance of the outbreak.
Speaking at a news conference Saturday, Netanyahu said no country would be singled out and that any added quarantine requirements would apply to all international arrivals.
Officials were expected to meet Monday to discuss the move.
Trump dismisses coronavirus concerns despite warnings from his own administration
Trump spent much of Monday morning tweeting about the novel coronavirus. In contrast to the members of his administration who warned Americans on Sunday about the dangers of the virus, the president dismissed the risk posed to the public and argued that Democrats and the media have been playing up the situation.
“The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power (it used to be greater!) to inflame the CoronaVirus situation, far beyond what the facts would warrant,” Trump said in a morning tweet.
In later tweets, he praised Vice President Pence and members of the coronavirus task force, hailed his own decision to “stop travel to and from certain parts of the world,” and blamed Saudi Arabia and Russia for the stock market’s precipitous drop.
Trump also played down the risk posed by the coronavirus by comparing it to the common flu, in a tweet that appeared to ignore the advice of public health experts.
“So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu,” Trump tweeted. “It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”
Despite the similarities between the coronavirus and the flu, there are key differences. Among them: Researchers do not have enough data to accurately assess which is more deadly, and there is no vaccine for the new coronavirus.
Though it remains to be seen whether the coronavirus can be contained worldwide, deliberate quarantines and other health and travel precautions can slow its growth and help ensure that hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with coronavirus patients — especially at the same time that health-care workers are trying to manage seasonal influenza.
Silicon Valley’s two-tiered system for white-collar workers is under pressure as coronavirus spreads
SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s office complex in Sunnyvale, Calif., is one of the company’s largest campuses, but the buildings were practically empty Friday, and there were no lines in a normally-crowded cafeteria. The night before, in a companywide email outlining its contingency plans to deal with the novel coronavirus, Google had notified Bay Area employees that they could work from home.
Security engineer Amardeep Singh Purewal would have preferred to work from home, too. But Purewal works for Google on contract and can’t access his Google email account remotely.
So Purewal did not see Google’s safety plans until he arrived at the office. And even after, he wasn’t sure whether the flexibility would apply to workers with red contractor badges like him.
Since late February, the spread of the new coronavirus has evolved rapidly in the U.S., and so has Silicon Valley’s response to the threat.
Read more here.
U.K. government says virus will spread in ‘significant way’
A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that the British government was still in its “containment” phase of the coronavirus crisis but that the virus was sure to spread in a “significant way.”
The announcement came after a meeting of the government’s emergency response division. The spokesman said that the body, commonly referred to as Cobra, had considered a ban on large public gatherings such as sporting events but that there would be no such ban for now.
Johnson “will be guided by the best scientific advice,” the spokesman said.
The United Kingdom had 319 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday morning, according to the BBC. On Monday, two cases in Wales and five in Scotland were confirmed.
The rapid global spread of the virus has coincided with nose-diving markets, and Britain was no exception. The FTSE 100, Britain’s top share index, fell nearly 9 percent when trading began early Monday.
Although the index rose slightly as the day went on, Monday represented the FTSE 100’s worst day since the 2008 financial crisis.
America’s best bet against coronavirus: local health departments. We spent the last decade cutting their budgets, staffs.
When an outbreak hits, public health departments are America’s front line of defense. Since the coronavirus reached U.S. soil, thousands of local health officials across the country have been working nonstop and scrambling to prepare.
But in the unfolding war against the coronavirus, they are already hamstrung — decades of budget cuts have left many local departments without the staff, equipment or plans to mount an adequate response. Local health departments say they’re already pulling employees from critical efforts such as opioid abuse prevention. A sudden burst of new cases could force them to choose where to divert resources and possibly endanger the public, experts said.
In San Bernardino County, Calif., the staff is spread so thin that three paid interns from the health department have been handling most of the coronavirus groundwork, according to assistant health officer Erin Gustafson. Their main responsibility is to monitor about 390 recent travelers returning from China and other countries severely affected by the outbreak who have been asked to self-quarantine.
Read more here.
Markets are sending a message about the coronavirus: Recession risk is real
Pick just about any market — stocks, bonds, oil — and it is sending a signal that investors around the world think there’s a high probability of a recession.
J.P. Morgan sent around a note to clients late last week saying markets were indicating a 90 percent chance of a recession, a term that generally means six straight months of economic contraction. The picture looks even uglier now, especially in the bond market. Last week, Wall Street freaked out when the yield on a marquee government bond — the U.S. 10-year Treasury — fell below 1 percent. That had never happened before.
Now, that yield is below 0.5 percent, a jaw-dropping situation that didn’t even occur during the Great Recession.
Read more here.
Hundreds exposed to D.C. church rector with coronavirus urged to self-quarantine
D.C. officials on Monday urged hundreds who attended Christ Church Georgetown on several recent days to self-quarantine because of their exposure to the church rector, the Rev. Timothy Cole, who is the first known coronavirus patient in the District.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced the recommendation at a Monday news conference as local authorities try to contain the spread of the virus from two confirmed cases. It is the first broad self-quarantine order in the Washington region.
The mayor said residents who attended the church on Feb. 24 or between Feb. 28 and March 3 should self-quarantine for 14 days since the last time they were at the church. She added that she is weighing declaring a public emergency, which would give her the power to impose quarantines.
Read more here.
As more virus cases are traced to Egypt, questions mount about government measures
CAIRO — The Egyptian government is facing mounting questions about the spread of the coronavirus in the country — the Arab world’s most populous nation, with more than 100 million people — and its handling of the threat.
Unlike many other countries in the Middle East, and worldwide, Egypt has not closed schools, paused Friday prayers or stopped large gatherings of people to limit the spread of the virus. But on social media and over dinner conversations, Egyptians have expressed worries about a lack of transparency, and that the spread of the coronavirus could be much larger than what the government has revealed.
A German tourist who traveled from Luxor to the Red Sea town of Hurghada died from complications brought on by the virus on Sunday, becoming Egypt’s first fatality.
Meanwhile, Taiwan disputed an assertion by the Egyptian government that a Taiwanese American woman was the origin of the coronavirus infections of 45 passengers and crew aboard a Nile cruise ship. After isolating the strain of the virus from the woman, known as Case #39, Taiwanese researchers found it different from those of other infected Taiwanese, the nation’s Centers for Disease Control said in a statement.
“It is determined that Case #39 contracted the novel coronavirus in Egypt, and developed symptoms after returning to Taiwan,” the statement said.
Read more here.
Death toll mounts in Spain as coronavirus spreads across Europe
A total of 25 people have died of the novel coronavirus in Spain, marking a major increase over the weekend.
The rapid increase in deaths raised concerns across the continent, especially as Spain has now surpassed the death rates recorded so far in Britain and Germany.
Germany, for instance, has confirmed over 1,100 cases; Spain has reported more than 900.
Spanish health authorities refrained from voicing alarm, however, as all the deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, had by Sunday occurred among elderly patients, a population known to be especially vulnerable.
As the coronavirus continues to spread across Europe, cases and quarantines began to be reported among higher profile individuals and institutions.
On Sunday, the office of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced that the 71-year-old leader was self-isolating after it was revealed that he had received a group of students from a school that since reported a student who tested positive for the coronavirus.
The infected student was not among the one who visited Portugal’s presidential palace, but Rebelo de Sousa’s office announced that the president showed no symptoms and was self-isolating “to provide an example of taking preventive measures while continuing to work at home.”
In Brussels, a NATO staff member also tested positive for the coronavirus. Two French lawmakers — and two employees of the French National Assembly — have likewise tested positive for the virus.
French officials: No, cocaine does not protect against coronavirus
There have been instructions on how to properly wash your hands and how to stop touching your face. Reminders about the most effective hand sanitizer (make sure it has enough alcohol!) and the best type of beard for a face mask. But as the novel coronavirus spreads across the globe and stirs the public into a health frenzy, French officials are offering a slightly more peculiar warning on social media about one bogus tactic.
“No, cocaine does not protect against #COVID-19,” France’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on Twitter. “It’s an addictive drug that causes serious adverse and harmful effects.”
It’s unclear what prompted the offbeat warning, which appears to be part of a ministry campaign to fight misinformation related to the coronavirus.
In similar tweets over the weekend, the ministry instructed citizens that using hand sanitizer will not increase their risk of cancer and that covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, cannot be contracted through mosquito bites.
An extensive ministry Web page linked in all three tweets offers a long list of FAQs and resources on dealing with the virus, which has been contracted by over 1,200 people in France. But there’s no mention of cocaine.
Still, the office is not the only one warning against a particularly alarming — and ineffective — way to fight the epidemic.
Last week, as pharmacies and supermarkets sold out of hand sanitizer, Tito’s Vodka took to Twitter to warn that its signature beverage cannot, in fact, be used as a boozy replacement for washing your hands.
Indeed, the vodka did not contain enough alcohol, it said, to meet recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Iran announces 43 new deaths from coronavirus
Iran announced 43 new deaths from the coronavirus in the country, bringing the total number of fatalities to 237, with 7,161 cases confirmed, the Health Ministry said Monday.
Iran holds the bulk of those affected in the Middle East, with only a few hundred other cases confirmed elsewhere in the region.
On Monday, the country also announced that it has temporarily released about 70,000 prisoners to curb the spread of the virus, Iran’s English-language Press TV said. Prisoners will “continue to be furloughed as long as [this measure] does not interfere with the society’s security,” Chief Justice Ebrahim Raeisi was quoted as saying.
He added that they will also prioritize processing cases of those in the country who have been hoarding sanitary items and other items used to fight the virus.
The coronavirus outbreak has hit Iran hard, infecting about two dozen members of parliament and at least 15 other current or former top figures, according to official reports.
Among those sickened have been a vice president, a deputy health minister and an adviser to the head of the judiciary, and the virus has struck at the pinnacle of power, killing an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.
Data obtained from a group of hospitals in Tehran strongly suggests that the epidemic has spread even more than the government has acknowledged.
Catholic communities around the world forced to adapt to coronavirus
MANILA — Around the world, Catholic communities are taking extra precautions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Surrounded by one of the world’s most virus-stricken countries, the Vatican on Saturday suspended several of Pope Francis’s signature public events. The pontiff’s Sunday Angelus prayer was live-streamed.
Catholics elsewhere have faced restrictions, too. In the Philippines, the Archdiocese of Manila on Monday ordered its churches to empty its holy water stoups and make rubbing alcohol available to its parishioners. The list of precautions came in the form of a pastoral letter, as coronavirus cases in the Philippines rose to 20 on Monday.
Attendance to Sunday Mass in the dominantly Catholic Philippines has plummeted since news of the outbreak. On Ash Wednesday, some churches sprinkled ash over attendees’ heads, instead of traditionally marking it on their foreheads as part of a no-contact measure.
Other instructions detailed in the letter included the disinfecting of pews, wearing gloves and masks while counting mass collections, and discouraging parishioners from holding hands during service and kissing or holding statues and sacred images.
The worst-case scenario, said Apostolic Administrator Broderick Pabillo, is suspending public gatherings altogether. The Catholic Church has already taken similar precautions in Italy, Japan, and South Korea.
“Let the parishes be prepared for the economic effects” of covid-19, Pabillo said, adding that savings should go into a disaster resiliency fund. “At this time, let expenses be made only in what is essential in order to save for any eventualities.”
China’s Foreign Ministry tells Pompeo to stop calling it the ‘Wuhan virus’
HONG KONG — China’s Foreign Ministry criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday for describing the novel coronavirus as the “Wuhan virus,” a name that refers to the Chinese city where it first appeared.
Noting that the World Health Organization had said that the virus should be referred to as the novel coronavirus and not by a geographic name, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang accused America’s top diplomat of trying to slander China.
“We condemn the despicable practice of individual U.S. politicians eagerly stigmatizing China and Wuhan by association with the novel coronavirus, disrespecting science and WHO,” Geng said at a daily news conference.
“The international society has a fair judgment, and Pompeo’s attempts of slandering China’s efforts in combating the epidemic is doomed to fail,” Geng said, arguing that China had been open with information about the outbreak, sharing it with the United States and other countries.
Pompeo used the term “Wuhan virus” or “Wuhan coronavirus” to refer to the novel coronavirus at least twice last week: once during a news conference last Thursday and then the next day during a CNBC interview. Separately, on Sunday night, Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) announced that he would self-quarantine because of possible exposure to the “Wuhan virus,” sparking criticism from users on Twitter, where he announced the measures.
In guidelines issued in February, the WHO had said that the name “Wuhan virus” and other geographic references should be avoided, as they could stigmatize people of Chinese origin. Instead, the organization formally named the disease that the coronavirus causes “covid-19” — “co” for corona, “vi” for virus and “d” for disease, along with the date it emerged.
Wang Yuan contributed from Beijing.
European leaders urge emergency stimulus package
PARIS — European leaders called Monday for emergency stimulus packages to ease the potential economic fallout from coronavirus-related lockdowns and quarantines.
The call was particularly acute in Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe and where the government tried to restrict the movement of roughly 16 million people over the weekend.
The affected areas, which include the cities of Milan and Venice, are both the epicenter of the largest coronavirus outbreak in Europe and the economic motor of Italy.
On Monday, the Italian government called on the European Union to pass an emergency package that would limit the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on Italy and other countries in the E.U.
As of late Sunday, Italy has confirmed 7,375 cases of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. It has also recorded 366 deaths.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte vowed Monday that Italy would ramp up spending as a form of “massive shock therapy” to avoid the worst economic consequences.
Those calls were echoed by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who likewise urged the E.U. on Monday to draw up a “massive” stimulus plan. Speaking on France Inter radio, Le Maire said that the full impact of the coronavirus epidemic could slash French economic growth in 2020 from an estimated 1.3 percent to below 1 percent.
Le Maire said that the details of a stimulus plan would be discussed March 16 at a meeting with other European finance ministers.
France has recorded 1,209 cases and 19 deaths.
Meanwhile, the German coalition government agreed to additional investments and the removal of obstacles for companies to shorten employees’ work schedules, to mitigate the economic fallout of the crisis.
Rick Noack contributed from Berlin.
GOP congressman’s self-quarantine tweet sparks racism accusations
On Sunday night, Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) announced that he would self-quarantine after having “sustained contact” with a Conservative Political Action Conference attendee who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Many praised the controversial Arizona congressman, who along with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is one of two members of Congress in isolation, for taking precautionary measures despite not showing any symptoms. But many more objected to his choice of words: On his personal Twitter account, Gosar called covid-19 “the Wuhan Virus."
“While I appreciate you self-quarantining and making a responsible decision, you don’t need to throw out dogwhistle racist terms while you do it,” said one typical response.
Most people call it the coronavirus.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 9, 2020
Some call it Covid-19.
But only the most ignorant and racist among us would call it the Wuhan virus.
After the disease caused by coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December, many media outlets, including The Washington Post, referred to it as the “Wuhan virus.” Then, in February, the World Health Organization named the illness covid-19, an appellation that was deliberately chosen so that it wouldn’t stigmatize a specific place or group of people.
Though the virus has spread far beyond Wuhan, some U.S. officials are still clinging to the old nickname. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised eyebrows by referring to the “Wuhan virus” after China’s Foreign Ministry called it “highly irresponsible” to do so. And when Gosar followed suit on Sunday night, he was quickly labeled racist and xenophobic.
“I will pray for you, your staff & the person hospitalized,” responded Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) “Also, calling #COVIDー19 the Wuhan Virus is an example of the myopia that allowed it to spread in the US. The virus is not constrained by country or race. Be just as stupid to call it the Milan Virus.”
Princess cruise in Caribbean cut short to test crew members for coronavirus
One Princess Cruises ship with an outbreak of the novel coronavirus spent weeks docked at a Japanese port. Another has been floating aimlessly off the coast of California, as dozens aboard tested positive and officials debated what to do with the vessel.
Now, the virus has derailed multiple cruises a continent away, as authorities warned that crew members on two of the company’s ships in the Caribbean may have brought the illness there from boats in the Pacific.
The Caribbean Princess — a 3,600-passenger vessel based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — will return early from Costa Rica to test some of its crew members for the virus, following a “no-sail” order Sunday from federal officials, the Miami Herald reported.
Princess Cruises did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.
Two crew members aboard the ship had been transferred from the Grand Princess in California between one and two weeks ago, according to the Herald. More than 20 people currently aboard the ship, which is expected to dock in Oakland on Monday, have tested positive for covid-19.
The two Caribbean crew members were not showing any symptoms of the virus and were being isolated in individual cabins, according to a letter to passengers reviewed by the Herald. The vessel will stop in Grand Cayman to collect test kits and then head to the coast of Florida while awaiting test results.
Still, the situation underscores yet another way the epidemic may be challenging the cruise industry. As companies struggle to contain and manage outbreaks aboard individual ships, they must also contend with an expansive network of employees who occasionally switch from one vessel to another.
Earlier this weekend, another one of the company’s ships spent an extra day at sea following a similar situation: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered the 3,560-passenger Regal Princess not to dock until two crew members could be tested for covid-19.
Both employees had also previously worked on the Grand Princess in California, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. But both tested negative, and the Regal Princess docked in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.
Philippines closes schools to curb coronavirus spread as national cases double
MANILA — Schools around Manila’s metro area on Monday suspended classes for the next week, as officials declared a health emergency and announced that total coronavirus cases in the Philippines had doubled to 20.
Information about the new patients’ links to previously reported cases was not immediately available, but some had a history of travel abroad. More than 100 people who came in contact with some of the infected patients have been quarantined at home, officials said.
The sudden increase is sparking concern over whether hospitals in the Philippines, which struggle with overcrowding, are equipped to contain the virus. President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency earlier in the day.
Schools are already adjusting to the announcement, with De La Salle University announcing classes to be conducted online. Ateneo de Manila University suspended all university-related international travel — such as academic conferences, competition and student exchange programs — until December.
The Department of Education also canceled all national and regional events, save for two nationwide student gatherings this week. Off-campus activities were also canceled.
In a memo, the department listed heightened precautions for those attending the nationwide events that are going ahead. Apart from hand and respiratory hygiene, participants would be screened for symptoms and will be required to provide a detailed documentation of their day-to-day activities.
European stocks plunge as global rout intensifies amid coronavirus, oil war
European markets plunged on Monday morning, giving more momentum to a global rout that saw investors flee to safety amid coronavirus and a related oil price-war.
London’s FTSE 100 dived 8.5 percent shortly after opening, hitting a three year low, while the pan-European index Stoxx suffered a loss of 6 percent.
There were signs ahead for a rude awakening for Wall Street, with Dow Jones futures were down almost five percent with roughly five hours to go before trading opened.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond dropped below 0.5 percent, at one point hitting a record low of 0.318 percent, suggesting investors were fleeing stocks and looking for safer investments.
Global prices for crude oil had dropped below $30, a fall of more than a quarter, as Saudi Arabia upped production in a bid to increase market share. The move, which startled markets and present a major risk for oil producers, came as Russia and other producers resisted calls to slash output in response to weakening demand caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
Goldman Sachs warned in a note released Sunday that brent crude oil prices might go as low as $20 a barrel, the lowest prices in 20 years.
The moves in Europe followed a day of losses across Asian markets, with Japan’s Nikkei closing down 5 percent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 down 7.3 percent at the end of trading.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar cut travel links with host of virus-affected countries
BEIRUT — Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Monday suspended flights to and from a new list of countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon and Syria, in an attempt to curb the outbreak of coronavirus.
Saudi Arabia also suspended flights to and from the neighboring Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates — only people traveling by land are allowed from the neighbors, a statement carried by the Saudi state news agency SPA said Monday. The kingdom also paused travel between itself and South Korea.
Travelers from those countries to Saudi Arabia are banned as well as anyone who has been in those countries within the past 14 days. Exceptions have been made for shipping and trade.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia quarantined Qatif in its eastern province, saying that all 11 cases that had been discovered in the kingdom were residents of the area, the state news agency reported. It stopped anyone from entering or leaving the province, with exceptions made for residents to return home, and suspended work in public and private sectors, except for necessary businesses such as gas stations and pharmacies.
Starting Monday, all schools and universities in Saudi Arabia, both public and private, will be closed until further notice. Last week, it paused offseason pilgrimage to Mecca by its citizens and tourists — a decision that, if extended, is likely to affect millions of Muslims planning to make the main pilgrimage in late July.
On Monday, four more cases were announced in the kingdom — a citizen from Qatif, two Bahrainis who had been to Iraq, and an American resident who was in the Philippines, raising the countries’ total to 15.
Qatar announced three new cases on Sunday, also bringing its total to 15.
Philippines declares health emergency over virus outbreak
MANILA — The Philippines declared a state of public health emergency on Monday after confirmed local transmissions of the coronavirus, as the outbreak continues to spread globally.
The order, signed Monday by President Rodrigo Duterte, is expected to fast-track government responses to the epidemic by mobilizing resources and easing procurement processes for supplies, health officials said in an earlier statement.
The order also stated that the health chief can call on law enforcement agencies, such as the police, to “provide assistance.”
Critics of Duterte’s government have expressed skepticism about the country’s capacity to detect and contain the virus, especially after cuts to the health budget.
The Philippines has listed at least 10 cases — three of which involve patients with no recent international travel history. About 90 Filipinos around the world, mostly overseas workers, have also tested positive for the virus.
Germany and France temporarily close North Korea missions
Germany and France have closed their diplomatic missions in North Korea, Britain’s ambassador to the country said in a tweet on Monday, amid ongoing concerns about the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Colin Crooks, who has been Britain’s representative in Pyongyang since December 2018, wrote on Twitter that the British Embassy would stay open.
Sad to say farewell this morning to colleagues from German Embassy and French Office #NorthKorea which are closing temporarily. #BritishEmbassy remains open. #àbientôt #bisbald in #Pyongyang #DPRK pic.twitter.com/bHWPFixiiI
— Colin Crooks (@ColinCrooks1) March 8, 2020
Germany has an embassy in North Korea, but France runs a limited office as it does not have formal diplomatic relations with North Korea.
NK News, a Seoul-based publication that focuses on tracking developments in the closed state, reported that diplomats from the French and German missions were among 60 people who departed Pyongyang on a flight to the Russian city of Vladivostok on Monday morning.
Foreign diplomats had previously been under quarantine in North Korea. The measures were reported to be strict: Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora told Tass news agency that all diplomatic work had been curtailed and that even the mail had been canceled, meaning the embassies have not received certain medicines.
“I must say that the situation is extraordinary,” Matsegora said in his Feb. 20 interview. “These may seem like trifles but everyday life is made up of them.”
Last week, Sweden’s ambassador to the country, Joachim Bergstrom, had posted a picture on Twitter of himself in Pyongyang and said he was glad to finally be outside of the embassy. “I have never been happier standing on Kim ll Sung Square," Bergstrom tweeted.
North Korea has no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, but public health experts have expressed concern about the impact that an outbreak would have on it due to its limited resources and opaque political system.
Despite the threat posed by a potential outbreak, North Korea’s government has resumed weapons testing over recent weeks.
According to state media, North Korean leader has Kim Jong Un supervised two rounds of live-fire artillery exercises in the past 10 days — its first weapons tests since late November. South Korea’s military said Monday that the country had fired three short-range projectiles off its east coast earlier in the day.
Cruise line says it will refund passengers on Grand Princess, which is set to disembark in 'multiple day process’
As the virus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship prepares to dock in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, the cruise line has reportedly told passengers aboard the vessel it will refund them for all costs related to their voyage.
The ship, which was linked to California’s first death from the novel coronavirus, had been held in waters off San Francisco for days as officials debated whether to let approximately 3,500 people ashore, including at least 21 who later tested positive for the virus.
In a letter to passengers on Sunday, Princess Cruises said it would offer a full refund for all expenses related to their time aboard the vessel, including costs for any travel or accommodations before and after the cruise itself. They will also receive a full credit for another cruise.
“It is our sincere hope that the refund and credit will help ease at least a small bit of the stress you may be feeling right now,” Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz said in a letter to passengers, according to KPIX.
A passenger on the Grand Princess shared this letter. Guests will receive a full refund of the cruise, and credit equal to 100% of the fare paid for this voyage. @KPIXtv #CoronavirusOutbreak #CoronavirusUSA #COVID #covid19 pic.twitter.com/B7Y5WpqNM9
— Betty Yu (@BettyKPIX) March 9, 2020
Even as Princess Cruises confirmed that passengers would disembark Monday, the exact plan for that “multiple day process” remained mired in uncertainty overnight.
It is unclear at precisely what time the Grand Princess would arrive at the Port of Oakland, the cruise line said late on Sunday, though the process is expected to involve the U.S. Coast Guard and California’s health department.
Any guests who need to be hospitalized will be allowed off the ship first and sent to medical facilities, according to Princess Cruises. At least two passengers aboard the Grand Princess had tested positive for the rapidly spreading virus.
Of other American passengers on board, nearly 1,000 who live in California will go into a 14-day quarantine at military bases near Oakland and in San Diego. Residents of all other states will be transported for isolation at bases in San Antonio and Marietta, Ga.
Evacuees would be tested once they have arrived at the bases to avoid delays, the cruise line said on Sunday. Two of those four sites had served as quarantine locations for passengers evacuated last month from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
The ship’s crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for the virus, will remain on board.
Federal officials were working with home countries to repatriate international passengers, the Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday, although it is unclear how many are aboard the ship. On Sunday, Canada said it would be chartering a plane to evacuate more than 200 of its citizens, who would be quarantined at a Canadian military base in Ontario.
Indian Wells tennis tournament called off because of coronavirus concerns
The prestigious tennis tournament held annually in Indian Wells, Calif., has been called off just before it was set to begin, because of concerns over coronavirus.
“We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance,” Tommy Haas, tournament director for the BNP Paribas Open, said in a statement released Sunday evening. “We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”
The BNP Paribas is the largest sports event in the United States so far to be canceled or postponed as a result of the spread of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Earlier Sunday, Riverside County (Calif.) Health Officer Cameron Kaiser declared a state of emergency after the first locally acquired case of the illness was discovered in Coachella Valley, in which Indian Wells is located.
Philippines says members of the public are not allowed to touch Duterte
MANILA — Nobody can touch Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte — literally, his security office announced on Monday.
The Presidential Security Group said it would implement a no-touch policy between Duterte and the public as a preventive measure “to ensure the safety of [the president] and the first family” amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"Personalities who are expected to get near [the president] during meetings and events will be thoroughly screened and tested for any illness or symptom related to COVID-19,” the group commander, Jesus Durante III, said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. “These include Presidential Security Group personnel, politicians, and other dignitaries.”
The group also said that gatherings expecting to draw large crowds will be assessed and possibly canceled.
The tough-talking Duterte gained international recognition for his bloody war on drugs, which has left thousands dead.
The state of the 74-year-old president’s health is the subject of public scrutiny. He has previously said he has various ailments, including Buerger’s disease and an autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis, among others. A newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, reported Duterte was absent from at least eight events last year due to various health reasons.
The Philippines has 10 recorded cases of the coronavirus.
Thailand aviation body suggests quarantine, health certificates needed for travelers, adding to confusion for tourists
Compounding days of mixed messages, Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority on Monday released an advisory that said any visitors from countries known to have novel coronavirus outbreaks would be subject to quarantine and advised airlines that passenger from these countries need a certificate from a medical official to board a flight.
“The passengers need to present a health certificate certifying that they have no risk of coronavirus disease (covid–19). If any passenger is unable to present such certificate, boarding shall be denied and the boarding pass shall not be issued,” the agency said in a statement.
Separately, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Hong Kong office announced a 14-day quarantine in a Facebook message, suggesting that the restrictions would apply to China (including Hong Kong and Macao), South Korea, Italy and Iran and that they would last 14 days.
The Thai government has now enhanced precaution and prevention measures for COVID-19. All travelers are asked to fill in...
Posted by Tourism Authority of Thailand (HK) / 泰國政府旅遊局 (HK) on Sunday, March 8, 2020
The announcements added further confusion for tourists. Last Tuesday, Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the government had implemented a mandatory 14-day quarantine for new arrivals, before subsequently deleting the announcement only hours later.
On Friday, Thailand’s health ministry said no such quarantine was yet in place. “We haven’t yet enforced the law to quarantine everyone except for the Thai workers returning from South Korea,” Disease Control Department deputy director Thanarak Phaliphat said.
Thailand is a major southeast Asian tourist destination, bringing around 40 million tourists a year, but last week the Tourist Authority of Thailand announced that the number of visitors could drop by 6 million this year to its lowest number in four years. The country has confirmed 50 cases of the novel coronavirus so far, along with one death.
Death toll from virus in South Korea reaches 51
The number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in South Korea surpassed 50 over the weekend, according to new official figures released Monday.
South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been 248 new cases of the virus in the previous 24 hours, along with one new death. The announcement brings the total number of confirmed cases to 7,382, with 51 fatalities.
The number of new cases found in South Korea has been steadily increasing, adding to a count that was already the highest outside China. Still, officials there have administered tests far more widely than in many other countries, and far fewer deaths have been reported than in Iran or Italy.
Last week, the South Korean government proposed a $10 billion stimulus package as President Moon Jae-in declared “war” on the virus, with authorities placed on 24-hour alert.
Some countries have imposed travel restrictions on travelers arriving from South Korea.
Hubei, epicenter of China’s outbreak, making tentative plans for return to normalcy
HONG KONG — There were tentative signs that Hubei, the Chinese province at the heart of China’s novel coronavirus outbreak, could return to normalcy, as public anger simmers toward the government for the prolonged restrictions on normal life.
Local outlet Hubei Daily reported Sunday that at least three counties in the province had allowed some businesses to reopen and removed some restrictions on road traffic. Wuhan’s international airport, shut down since Jan. 23, also confirmed on Sunday that some staff workers were asked to prepare for reopening, though the airport said no concrete dates have been decided.
There are still scores of new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus announced in Hubei each day, while the death toll in the province continues to climb. But the numbers have declined dramatically; on Monday, China’s National Health Commission announced 21 new cases in Hubei, but a week ago on March 2 they had announced 196. A week before, there had been 398 new cases in Hubei.
In Wuhan, some of the hastily built hospitals designed to treat coronavirus patients are now being shut down. Fourteen temporary quarantine facilities for mild cases of the virus are expected to be closed by Thursday, Chinese state television reported.
The moves comes after signs of anger in Hubei, and in particular Wuhan, where many residents have been living under lockdown since late January. Last week, footage on social media showed the residents shouting “fake!” as China’s vice premier toured a housing community. Wuhan top official, party secretary Wang Zhonglin, drew an angry response for comments over the weekend that suggested residents should be grateful to the Chinese government.
Lyric Li in Beijing contributed to this report
Federal agencies and employees receive new coronavirus-focused guidance
Federal agencies and employees received new coronavirus-focused guidance on Saturday, after pressure from Senate Democrats.
The Office of Personnel Management declared the virus to be a “quarantinable communicable disease” that warrants federal agencies reviewing and updating their emergency telework plans.
Each federal agency has the option to determine the type of leave allowed to employees who become ill or find themselves taking care of a sick loved one.
Should school systems close because of coronavirus, some federal agencies will have to update their policies regarding who will be able to complete tasks from home, especially those that do not allow children or elder case circumstances to be present during telework. If such organizations choose not to budge on this policy, employees will have to show up to their office, request annual leave or other paid time off if they can’t make it to their office.
The closure of schools and federal offices also give offices the option to authorize weather and safety leave to employees who can’t work from home because of agency policies that ban work under care situations. Federal agencies have the discretion to give advanced sick leave to an ill employee who has run out of sick leave due to the virus or has used sick leave to care for a family member, according to the memo.
If the World Health Organization were to declare the virus to be an pandemic, agencies can choose whether to evacuate employees from a worksite for remote work. Employees who do not have a telework agreement before a pandemic can still be ordered to work from home.
China announces 40 new infections, 22 deaths, from coronavirus
HONG KONG — China confirmed 22 deaths and 40 new infections from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the National Health Commission said on Monday, as the outbreak slows in the first-hit country while cases rise elsewhere.
China’s accumulated infections are now 80,735 and its total death count to 3,119, both by far the highest in the world. But there new cases remained largely confined to Hubei, while all but four of the deaths announced were in Hubei’s capital, Wuhan.
Hubei has been under strict lockdown since late January, which Chinese officials have suggested has largely stopped the virus from causing the same scale of problems in other provinces.
There is still a long way to go, but the commission said that there had been roughly 58,600 patients reported to have recovered from the outbreak since it began. There are roughly 19,016 patients still in hospital, the commission said, with 5,111 critical cases.
In a separate count, China on Sunday reported 4 new cases “imported” from other countries, all of which were in Gansu, a landlocked province in northwest China. There are 67 imported cases in total, with known cases from other hotspots like South Korea, Iran and Italy.
Li reported from Beijing