The Serious Side - part 7

Yes they do Lizzy.

[size=34]The buck DOESN'T stop with me: Donald Trump says 'I don't take personal responsibility at all' for testing fiasco and denies he knew a pandemic readiness unit was dismantled inside his White House[/size]

• At his press conference Friday, the president said he didn't take any responsibility for the U.S.'s inability to mass produce coronavirus tests 
  
  
• 'I don't take responsibility at all because we were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time'  
  
  
• Earlier on Twitter Trump had placed the blame on President Obama's administration for the lack of widespread coronavirus testing in the U.S.
  
  
• In two Friday morning tweets, Trump said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had studied its testing system 'but did nothing about it' 
  
  
• 'President Obama made changes that only complicated things further,' Trump said  
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:26 EDT, 13 March 2020 | UPDATED: 18:52 EDT, 13 March 2020




President Trump said zero responsibiity should be placed on him for the difficulties Americans have faced in getting coronavirus tests, as he continued to blame President Obama for an outdated system. 
'I don't take responsibility at all because we were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time,' Trump said a Rose Garden press conference Friday afternoon. '[It] wasn't meant for this kind of an event with the kind of numbers we wre talking about.' 
The statement stood in stark contrast to previous musings Trump has made about leadership. 
'Leadership: Whatever happens, you're responsible. If it doesn't happen, you're responsible,' he tweeted in November 2013 when Obama was still president. 
Friday's set of announcements at the White House included cutting regulations and partnering with private companies to mass produce coronavirus tests - as well as setting up drive-thru operations in the parking lots of Walmarts and other big box stores around the nation. 


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'I don't take responsibility at all,' President Trump said when asked about how Americans haven't been able to be easily tested for the coronavirus, saying he was handed regulations on test production from 'a different time' 



President Trump's statements Friday stand in stark contrast to what he's said before about leadership, which includes this tweet from November 2013, when President Obama was still in office 


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President Trump pointed a finger at President Obama during a Rose Garden press conference Friday where he announced how the administration planned to partner with private industry and create drive-thru testing centers in Walmart parking lots 


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THE BUCK STOPS ... WITH OBAMA: President Trump dashed off two tweets Friday morning blaming the Obama administration for the testing problems that have made it difficult for Americans to be tested for the Coronavirus 


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Dr. Anthony Fauci gave a candid assessment about the testing during a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday admitting that Americans aren't 'easily' going to be able to get tested and calling it a 'failing' 


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THANKS OBAMA: President Trump pointed a finger at President Obama and said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under his predecessor, looked at the testing system and did nothing to fix it. He then said Obama put regulations in place to make it worse  
[size=10][size=18]President Trump declares coronavirus a national emergency




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'And what we have done is redesigned it very quickly with the help of the people behind me,' Trump said. 
He had set the stage Friday with both members of the White House coronavirus taskforce and the CEOs of Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and the medial companies that specialize in disease testing.    
'And we are now in very, very strong shape,' the president said. 
As he had earlier on Twitter, Trump then specifically called out the Obama administration. 
'If you go back to the swine fly, they didn't do testing like this,' Trump said. 'And actually they lost approximately 14,000 people and they didn't do the testing.' 
'They started thinking about the testing when it was far too late,' he said.  
Trump had kicked off Friday morning playing the don't-blame-me game.        
'For decades @CDCgov looked at, and studied, its testing system, but did nothing about it. It would always be inadequate and slow for a large scale pandemic, but a pandemic would never happen, they hoped,' Trump tweeted. 'President Obama made changes that only complicated things further,' the president offered. 
Trump then went on to call the Obama administration's response to Swine Flu 'a full scale disaster, with thousands dying.' The president said nothing 'meaningful' has been done to fix the testing problem 'until now.' 
'The changes have been made and testing will soon happen on a very large scale basis,' he tweeted. 'All Red Tape has been cut, ready to go!' 
Trump's comments came after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified frankly on Capitol Hill Thursday. 
He told lawmakers sitting on the House Oversight Committee that Americans were not 'easily' able to be tested for the virus and called it a 'failing.'  
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz had brought up concerns to the witnesses that health care professionals, in her example nurses, were unable to obtain the test after potentially being exposed to the virus. 
'The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes, but we're not,' Fauci said on Capitol Hill. 'That is a failing. It is a failing. Let's admit it,' he also said. 
The development of a coronavirus test in the U.S. has not gone smoothly, as early test kits were sometimes inaccurate. There were also rules set in place to narrowly define who might get tested. 
Wasserman Schultz brought up a nurse who, despite having symptons, was refused a test by the CDC. 
'They said they would not test me because if I was wearing the recommended protective equipment, then I wouldn't have the coronavirus,' the nurse said. 'What kind of science-based answer is that?' 
Additionally, Fauci and Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, talked about the problems of bringing the tests to scale in order to get them, more broadly, to American patients.   





'It’s really the engagement of the private sector to get these tests into clinical medicine, which is a partnership between the private sector and CDC,' Redfield testified Thursday. 
Wasserman Schultz asked, 'Basically you're saying ... there's not one person that can ensure that these tests can be administered? Yes or no?' 
'The system is not really geared to what we need right now - what you are asking for,' Fauci answered.  'The system was geared for the individual doctor-patient, what we're dealing with now transcends that,' he also explained. 
Trump, meanwhile, was in the Oval Office with the prime minister of Ireland painting a rosy picture about the testing. 
'They have a million tests out now. Over the next few days they'll have 4 million tests out,' Trump told reporters saying testing ''is going very smooth.' 

S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxROKabhDP8

God forgive me, but whenever I think of these idiots being in charge of anything, let alone informing and protecting our country, I can't help but wish each of them a happy little case of the virus! Not that it would enlighten them or make them any more helpful to the rest of us...they'd be too busy feeling sorry for themselves and jumping to the head of the treatment line...but it would be very satisfying, in a not very charitable way.

Somebody finally tries the feet to the fire approach before someone jumped in........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVhgKgkai5c


https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/trump-food-stamps-cut-block-coronavirus_n_5e6c2b56c5b6747ef11d070b?ri18n=true

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8109181/Pelosi-White-House-near-agreement-coronavirus-aid-bill.html

[size=34]House PASSES coronavirus bill by 363-40 in 1am vote as Trump and Pelosi back deal for paid sick leave, FREE testing and help for jobless after President declared an emergency and 'prayer day'[/size]

• In a late night push, the House of Representatives passed a coronavirus economic aid package 
  
  
• It includes two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave
  
  
• The bill was passed by 363 votes to 40 and will now go to a vote in the Senate next week
  
  
• President Trump encouraged House Republicans and Democrats to vote yes on a coronavirus response package late on Friday night
  
  
• The bill was negotiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin 
  
  
• The aid package from Congress will provide free coronavirus testing even for those without insurance
  
  
• It also provides an infusion of dollars to handle unemployment benefits, guaranteed sick pay for workers, and will boost food programs for children, families and seniors 
  
  
• Earlier today, Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency in order to free up more money and resources 
  
  
• The state of emergency cracks open $50 billion emergency funds 
  
  
• He also declared Sunday, March 15, National Prayer Day 
  
  
• The coronavirus has hit 49 states with West Virginia the only state yet to report a case 
  
  
• The Department of Defense has banned official travel for service members in the United States 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 08:41 EDT, 13 March 2020 | UPDATED: 03:24 EDT, 14 March 2020

     


A coronavirus economic aid bill was passed by 363 votes to 40 by the House of Representatives in the early hours of Saturday morning after receiving support from President Trump who declared a national emergency because of the coronavirus on Friday afternoon.  
The sweeping relief package includes two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave as the coronavirus is now confirmed in 49 states. West Virginia is the only state not to have a case by Friday evening. 
Trump threw his support behind the legislation which faced a vote in the House early Saturday morning, after announcing a national emergency over coronavirus and later designating this Sunday, March 15, a National Prayer Day.  
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday announced the deal with the Trump administration for an aid package from Congress that would provide free tests even for the uninsured, enhanced unemployment benefits by boosting food stamps, and federal funds for Medicaid. It will also bolster food programs with additional food aid. 
Additionally it will include two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave for Americans who work for businesses with less than 500 employees or the government and are infected by the virus. 
The bill was passed by the House in a post-midnight vote on Saturday morning after a last-minute push to get details agreed. It will now go to a vote in the Senate when it returns next week. 
The vote came after a roller-coaster day in which:

• President Trump declared a national emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic which will open $50 billion in emergency funds 
  
• In a press conference on Friday evening, he said he wasn’t taking responsibility for an early lack of testing and argued the Obama administration had more deaths with swine flu than have happened under the coronavirus 
  
• Said the United Kingdom might be added to his travel ban because numbers there are soaring;
  
• Ordered hospitals to come up with emergency plans to deal with the expected onslaught;
  
• Disclosed that the federal government had ordered more 'respirators'; 
  
• Waived federal student loan interest payments; 
  
• Said he would replenish the nation's strategic oil reserve because prices are low - a move which is effectively a massive giveaway to domestic oil producers;
  
• Boasted that his actions had led to 'just 40 deaths' - but warned the number will go up;
  
• Refused to take any responsibility for the testing fiasco - even as the top medical official on his coronavirus taskforce said the president had only 'realized' there was a problem on Tuesday;
  
• Denied he had any idea that his administration had dismantled a pandemic readiness unit inside the White House which was part of the National Security Council saying it was 'people in his administration' not him;
  
• Repeatedly shook hands with other people around him as he addressed a group of reporters squeezed close to each other, all in defiance of CDC guidelines. 
  
• His comments came before Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday night that the deal had been struck between Congress and the White House on the coronavirus emergency aid package
  
• It includes free testing even for the uninsured, additional food aid, two weeks of paid sick leave, up to three months of paid family and medical leave,and enhanced unemployment benefits by boosting food stamps
  

Amid concerns from Republicans on Friday, who claimed they would not vote for the response bill without being sure of Trump's support, the president encouraged both parties to vote yes.  
'I fully support H.R. 6201: Families First CoronaVirus Response Act, which will be voted on in the House this evening. This Bill will follow my direction for free CoronaVirus tests, and paid sick leave for our impacted American workers,' Trump tweeted. 
'I have directed the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations that will provide flexibility so that in no way will Small Businesses be hurt. I encourage all Republicans and Democrats to come together and VOTE YES!
'I will always put the health and well-being of American families FIRST. Look forward to signing the final Bill, ASAP!' he added. 
[size=18]Pelosi welcomes bipartisan COVID-19 bill for sick pay and benefits




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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., makes a statement ahead of a planned late-night vote on the coronavirus aid package deal at the Capitol in Washington on Friday


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Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency in order to free up more money and resources 


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The negotiated deal was first announced by Speaker Pelosi around 6pm on Friday evening. 
'We are proud to have reached an agreement with the Administration to resolve outstanding challenges, and now will soon pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act,' Pelosi announced in a letter to colleagues. The House was poised to vote.
Pelosi added that the legislation would allow for free coronavirus testing, which includes testing for people who are uninsured. It would also include two weeks of paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave. 
The bill will also strengthen unemployment insurance by boosting food stamps. 


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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a deal with the Trump administration for an aid package from Congress that would provide free tests, sick pay for workers and bolster food programs 


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President Donald Trump, right, listens as Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a news conference about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House on Friday


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 Appearing on Fox New later in the evening, however, Secretary Mnuchin revealed he had not signed off on the deal and that further details needed to be figured out. 
'We have an agreement that reflects what the president talked about in his speech the other [Wednesday] night. He's very focused on making sure that we can deal with the coronavirus, that people who have to be home quarantined -- that hard-working Americans don't lose their compensation because they have to be home quarantined,' Mnuchin said. 
'Obviously we expect the bigger corporations to pick up these costs,' Mnuchin added, 'and we also want to make sure that people can get free testing. The president wants lots of testing. One of the things the market responded very positively to was [that] the president has made just enormous progress with all these big companies coming in and saying that there's testing.' 
Earlier today, Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency allowing him to access $50 billion in emergency funds and unveiling drive-thru testing in Walmart, Target and CVS parking lots.
But he denied any responsibility for delays in making testing available for the new virus, whose spread has roiled markets and disrupted the lives of everyday Americans.
[size=18]President Trump declares coronavirus a national emergency




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Trump also announced a range of executive actions, including a new public-private partnership to expand coronavirus testing capabilities with drive-through locations, as his administration has come under fire for being too slow in making the test available. 
Trump said, 'I don't take responsibility at all' for the slow rollout of testing. 
Access to testing has been a persistent source of concern. Still, Trump said officials don't want people taking the test unless they have certain symptoms. 
'We don't want people without symptoms to go and do that test,' Trump said, adding, 'It's totally unnecessary.' 
Late on Friday Trump also announced that this Sunday, March 15, would be National Prayer Day. 
'It is my great honor to declare Sunday, March 15th as a National Day of Prayer. We are a Country that, throughout our history, has looked to God for protection and strength in times like these,' he said. 
'No matter where you may be, I encourage you to turn towards prayer in an act of faith. Together, we will easily PREVAIL!' 
Before announcing that the deal had been reached, Pelosi said the House would approve its coronavirus aid package, imploring the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to 'put families first' by backing the effort to provide Americans with relief.



The House Democratic leader spoke from the speaker's balcony at the Capitol ahead of Trump's news conference at the White House, as the power centers of Washington were shuttered to visitors.
'Our nation, our great nation has faced crisis before,' Pelosi said. 
'And every time, thanks to the courage and optimism of the American people, we have prevailed. Now, working together, we will once again prevail.'
Central to the package is free testing for the virus and guaranteed sick pay for workers who are taking time away from jobs, along with an infusion of dollars to handle unemployment benefits and boost food programs for children, families and seniors.
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, whom Trump tapped to negotiate for the administration, have engaged in around-the-clock negotiations that continued even as Trump was speaking.
But Republican leaders in Congress slowed the deal, wanting assurances that Trump would publicly support the agreement before signing off on it ahead of any vote, according to a top congressional aide unauthorized to discuss the private talks and speaking on condition of anonymity. 


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Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks with reporters about the effects from the coronavirus, at the White House


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Dr. Anthony Fauci, left, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., right, after updating members of Congress on the coronavirus outbreak, on Capitol Hill in Washington
The White House is under enormous pressure, dealing with the crisis on multiple fronts as it encroached ever closer on the president.
The virus has swept in alarming ways across American life, sending the financial markets into a dangerous slide and shuttering schools and sporting events and limiting everyday interactions in communities across the country.
Pelosi and Mnuchin continued their constant cross-town phone calls throughout a tense day of negotiations to firm up and salvage the emerging deal that has widespread support from Democrats and some in the business community seeking certainty.
Providing sick pay for workers is a crucial element of federal efforts to stop the rapid spread of the infection. Officials warn that the nation's healthcare system could quickly become overwhelmed with gravely sick patients, as suddenly happened in Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the virus.
The ability to ensure paychecks will keep flowing - for people who stay home as a preventative measure or because they're feeling ill or caring for others - can help assure Americans they will not fall into financial hardship.
The House aid package builds on an emergency $8.3 billion measure approved last week.
[size=18]House passes bill to help families during coronavirus crisis




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Pelosi promised a third coronavirus package will follow soon, though the House is leaving Washington on Friday for a previously scheduled recess. That measure will include more aggressive steps to boost the U.S. economy, which economists fear has already slipped into recession.
But there's little appetite within either party for Trump's proposal to suspend collection of the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax. States are already clamoring for fiscal relief from Washington as the virus threatens their budgets.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, said more tests would be available over the next week, but that officials should not wait before trying to mitigate the virus' effects.
'We still have a long way to go,' he said Friday. 
'There will be many more cases. But we'll take care of that, and ultimately, as the president said, this will end.'
 

[size=34]Donald Trump declares a national emergency on coronavirus with drive-thru testing centers in Walmart, Target and CVS parking lots - saying he WILL be tested but swab kits are NOT for everyone and CANNOT say when they will arrive [/size]

Donald Trump declared a national emergency on coronavirus at a hastily-organized press conference in the White House Rose Garden - allowing him to access $50 billion in emergency funds and unveiling drive-thru testing in Walmart, Target and CVS parking lots.
But he said testing should not be available to everyone, directing people instead to a Google-run website to tell people what to do. When it is to launch will not be announced until Sunday. 
He also failed to address when adequate numbers of tests will finally arrive - and one of his advisers said the president only 'realized' there was a problem on Tuesday.
And then he threw medical guidelines on testing into chaos saying that he would get one himself - but not because he stood beside a Brazilian Mar-a-Lago guest who tested positive but 'because I think I will do it anyway.' 
Wall Street rebounded while the president spoke, responding positively to the measures he outlined after the Dow suffered its worst day since the 1987 recession earlier this week. 


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CDC guidelines ignored: Donald Trump shook hands repeatedly with the people he brought with him to the Rose Garden including Brian Cornell, the Target CEO


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CEO line-up: Trump brought a string of CEOs 
The press conference was Trump's attempt to make amends for his missteps in his national address Wednesday night, when he misspoke about his own travel ban policy - requiring a correction - and leaving the nation uneasy about the steps his administration was taking to combat the disease.  
Trump started by cracking open the $50 billion in funding, a move which will also make states able to rapidly put people on Medicaid if they seek treatment. 
'The action I am taking will open up access to up to $50 billion of very important and a large amount of money for states and territories, localities in our shared fight against this disease. In furtherance of the order, I'm asking every state to set up emergency operations centers immediately,' he said. 
He opened the press conference by repeating claims which have repeatedly come under fire that the federal response has been a success. 
He spoke on a day when questions mounted about whether he has been infected with the virus himself, with his daughter Ivanka self-isolation - and as markets suffered yet another wild ride. His dinner guest in Mar-a-Lago, Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro was at the center of confusion as his son said he tested positive for coronavirus then he right-leader claimed he had tested negative.
'I'd like to provide an update to the American people on several decisive new actions we're taking that are very vigilant effort to combat and ultimately defeat the corona virus, we've been working very hard on this. We've made tremendous progress,' he said.
'Europe was just designated as the hotspot right now. We closed that border awhile ago. That was lucky, through talent or luck, whatever you want. But through a very collective action and shared sacrifice, national determination, we will overcome the threat of the virus.'
'Like our earlier, very aggressive actions with China this measure will save countless lives.'
'To unleash the full power of the federal government did the separate today I am officially declaring a national emergency - two very big words.'
'The action I am taking will open up access to up to $50 billion of very important and a large amount of money for states and territories, localities in our shared fight against this disease. Furtherance of the order, I'm asking every state to set up emergency operations centers immediately.'

Well done, Nancy!

[size=34]Donald Trump may ban Brits from travelling to America: President considers including UK in list of European countries locked out of the US as he declares a national emergency on coronavirus – and UK infection toll soars to almost 800[/size]

• Donald Trump said he may include the UK in his travel ban from Europe as he looks to delay coronavirus  
  
  
• The President previously said Boris Johnson was doing a 'good job' and excluded UK and Ireland from the ban
  
  
• Earlier today, Trump declared a national emergency allowing him to access $50billion in emergency funds 
  
  
• Retailers including Walmart, Target and CVS who will set-up drive-thru testing centers in their parking lots
  
  
• The Europe ban takes effect from midnight tonight, causing many Americans to flee the continent
  
  
• There have been 1,930 confirmed cases and 42 deaths  in the US, and 798 cases with 11 dead in the UK
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 17:00 EDT, 13 March 2020 | UPDATED: 19:18 EDT, 13 March 2020

     




Donald Trump is considering banning flights from the UK in the latest efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. 
The President previously excluded Britain from the Europe-wide travel ban because he believed the UK authorities were doing a 'good job'. 
He said the UK exemption was originally made on the recommendation of 'a group of professionals' – but the rising number of British cases could result in an extension to the ban.
Mr Trump told reporters at a White House press conference on Friday: 'We are looking at it based on the new numbers that are coming out – and we may have to include them in the list of countries that we will, you could say ban or whatever it is, during this period of time.'
He said Britain's 'numbers have gone up fairly precipitously over the last 24 hours', causing him to rethink his strategy of fighting the deadly virus.
The UK has seen a rising total of infections and fatalities, currently standing at 798 confirmed cases with 11 dead after 200 new infections in the past 24 hours.
But the UK's chief medical officer said on Thursday the true number of infections is likely to be between 5,000 and 10,000. 
Trump's 30-day travel ban, which currently applies to citizens of 26 European countries, takes effect from midnight tonight, causing many Americans in Europe to desperately scramble to board the final flights leaving the continent. 
Trump earlier declared a state of national emergency, allowing him to access $50billion in emergency funds and unveiling drive-thru testing at major retailers including Walmart, Target and CVS.
But he said testing should not be available to everyone, directing people instead to a Google-run website to tell people what to do. When it will launch will be announced on Sunday. 
There have been 1,930 confirmed cases of covid-19 in the US, with 42 deaths. 


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 Donald Trump is considering adding the UK to his Europe-wide travel ban in the latest efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus


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The President had previously excluded the UK from the ban because he believed Boris Johnson was 'doing a good job'


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The UK now has 798 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, 11 people have died and more than 31,000 people have been tested (Figures accurate on Friday March 13)


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[size=10][size=18]President Trump declares coronavirus a national emergency




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Coronavirus fears have now gripped the UK, as car parks were pictured empty this morning and train stations and carriages were deserted as commuters avoided busy areas in rush hours around the country. 
The mass stayaway came after the Prime Minister yesterday announced a step-change in official advice and said anyone who develops a new cough or a fever should isolate themselves at home for a week, regardless of how likely they think it is that they have the coronavirus. 
Boris Johnson ramped up Number 10's response to second phase of the Government's coronavirus action plan but ministers refused to shut schools and delayed any rules banning large gatherings or international travel, but he said this may change in the near future.
Officials have controversially said they are instead aiming for a policy which could see up to 40million people left to catch the virus in the hope that the country will build up a herd immunity as they recover, meaning so many people will be immune to the virus that it won't be able to spread when it inevitably reappears in the future.
Meanwhile in the US, Trump ignored his own medical guidelines by saying he would get a test himself, not because he fears he is infected, but 'because I think I will do it anyway'.


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The Government yesterday announced it had moved to the second phase of its coronavirus action plan – the 'Delay' phase (Pictured, Prime Minister Boris Johnson with his chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty (left) and chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, right)
[size=18]Coronavirus: Michelle O'Neill calls for school closures




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[size=34]FTSE 100 INDEX RISES BEFORE CLOSE AFTER A CRIPPLING WEEK[/size]

Britain's stock market see-sawed today as investors reacted to new rules and funding provided by governments to tackle coronavirus.
The FTSE 100 lost almost 11 per cent of its value on Thursday, or 639 points to 5,237, the lowest level since 2012 and the worst single day falls since the 1987 crash. 
Share dive has blown massive hole in savers' investments and pension funds.

The index of the UK's leading companies closed up 86 points or 1.65 per cent at 5,324 today, despite fears of a recession continuing as panic gripped markets around the world. 
However the index lost most of the morning's gains in the afternoon, having been up nearly 8.8 per cent at around 12.30pm, adding more than 450 points.
The FTSE's market capitalisation at the close today was £1.6trillion, compared to £1.95trillion last Friday. This represents a fall in value of £345billion this week.  
In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority also announced a temporary ban on short-selling - or betting that a share price will fall - for Italian-listed businesses.
The decision comes after the Italian FTSEMIB fell an unprecedented 17 per cent yesterday, and bans are imposed on companies including Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari, De'Longhi and Juventus and Lazio football clubs. 



He also failed to address when adequate numbers of tests will finally arrive - and one of his advisers said the president only 'realised' there was a problem on Tuesday.
As the travel ban nears taking effect, Americans in Europe scrambled to buy last-minute plane tickets, in some cases spending thousands of dollars each, in hopes of speedily returning to the US.
One family of three paid nearly $8,000 for three one-way tickets from Paris to New York. 
On Friday night, Delta Air Lines has announced it is suspending all flights to Europe and will cut passenger-carrying capacity by 40 per cent to deal with a nosedive in travel demand.
The cut in capacity over the next few months is the largest in Delta's history, surpassing reductions that were made after the September 2001 terror attacks.
Delta also said it will stop all flights to continental Europe for the next 30 days - possibly longer - ground up to 300 airplanes, delay deliveries of new planes to save cash, and cut spending by $2billion.
Boris Johnson stopped short of more dramatic measures like a travel ban, or shutdowns of schools and public gatherings which have been announced in Ireland, France and Spain and other countries.
The move has triggered a political row and former Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, and London mayor candidate Rory Stewart, said the Government needs to do more now.
Britain's FTSE 100 economic index had a see-saw day today after a turbulent week, rising and then falling before a quick rebound this afternoon saw it nudge up 1.7 per cent before it closed at 5,324 points. 
Stocks and markets around the world have been battered by fears of how the coronavirus will hit the economy as millions are off work. 
And British Airways said it was fighting for survival amid the global disaster and revealed it will have to lay off staff and ground planes on a scale bigger than anything caused by 9/11 or the financial crisis in 2008.
More than 200 more patients were diagnosed with the killer infection in the past 24 hours, with Scotland now having 85 cases, Wales 35 and Northern Ireland 29. The rest are in England.  
Scotland's chief medical officer confirmed a patient had died, saying: 'I offer my deepest sympathy to their friends and family at this difficult time'. Officials refused to release any other details. 
Meanwhile the Welsh health minister revealed as many as 20,000 people could die in Wales as he suspended all non-urgent surgical procedures and outpatient appointments. 


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Some of the European airline counters at John F. Kennedy International Airport are seen empty in New York on Friday


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American Sarah McNeil and her friend Nick Goddard wear protective masks as they make their way to Sarah's departure gate to return to the United States at Tegel Airport in Berlin on Friday


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There are now more than 1,800 cases of coronavirus across the US and 42 people have died 

[size=34]I'M NOT TAKING PRECAUTIONS AFTER BOLSONARO DINNER SAYS TRUMP [/size]

The president said he wasn't taking precautions after Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro, who he had dinner with Saturday night at Mar-a-Lago, was tested for the disease. 
Bolsonaro's first test was positive but a second test came back negative.
Bolsonaro's press aide also tested positive and he posed with Trump. 

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[size=14]President Donald Trump shaking hands with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night; Bolsonaro's condition is claimed to be negative on a second test, after it was positive on a first one[/size]
The president is a clinically-obese 73-year-old.
'No. We have no symptoms whatsoever,' he said. 'And we had a great meeting with the president of Brazil. 
'Bolsonaro, great guy. Very tremendous,' he said.
'He's doing a fantastic job for Brazil. And, as you know, he tested negative - meaning nothing wrong - this morning and we got that word, too. Because we did have dinner with him.
'We were sitting next to each other for a long period of time.'[/size]



Boris Johnson's Government yesterday announced that it had moved to the second phase of its coronavirus action plan – the 'Delay' phase.
The PM and his senior scientific and medical advisers – Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty – said anyone who gets a new cough or fever should stay at home for a week and not see anyone.
In a briefing revealing the new actions officials are taking, the trio announced that over-70s should avoid cruise ships and schools should not take pupils on trips abroad.
Officials have confirmed they're pursuing a policy of trying to slow down and control and unstoppable outbreak, to spread the number of patients over a longer period of time instead of allowing a sudden spike in infections.
Their plan is that they will try to control the speed at which the virus makes its way through the population so they can reduce the pressure on the NHS.
As the outbreak becomes more ferocious, protective measures are likely to become stricter and revolve around trying to protect the most vulnerable people in society, such as locking down care homes for the elderly.
This will mean the virus can continue to infect healthy people and allow them to recover from the infection and to become immune.
Europe is now the epicenter of the global virus crisis and is recording more cases every day than China did even when it was in the grip of its epidemic's worst days, the World Health Organization announced. 
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the stark assessment today as he lamented the 'tragic milestone' of 5,000 global deaths from Covid-19.
He added that Europe now has 'more reported virus cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China'.
The claim that Europe is now outpacing China at its peak is particularly striking because the continent's population, at around 740million, is well below China's population of nearly 1.4billion.
'Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic,' Tedros told reporters in Geneva today. 'More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic.'


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Kennedy Airport is a ghost town on Friday after Trump instituted a ban on travel to and from Europe for 30 days


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Passengers, including American citizen Dylan Clairmont (right), 20, wait to board the last direct United Airlines flight from Berlin to New York at Tegel Airport on Friday
Emergency wards have been springing up across Europe as panic spreads across the continent with even France's Emmanuel Macron calling for tougher border controls.
Medics have been working from tents in Italy and Poland with patients placed on temporary beds while they are tested for the virus which has now killed more than 1,200 people in Europe.
In Russia, diggers were working into the night on a new infectious diseases clinic in the village of Babenki - reminiscent of China's hurried hospital construction when the outbreak began.
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin has ordered the facility built, some 40 miles from the capital, even though Russia currently has among the fewest victims among major countries.
France has also vowed to 'massively increase' its hospital capacity, while also trying to contain the virus by banning any gathering of more than 100 people with immediate effect - tightening its earlier 1,000-person limit.
Spain and Bulgaria are both declaring states of emergency, with Spanish police blocking roads out of four quarantined towns near Barcelona today as the death toll reached 120.


+15


ITALY: Hospital workers in protective gear work in a triage tent at a makeshift hospital in Brescia, where any arriving patients with suspected coronavirus symptoms are being tested


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RUSSIA: A construction site in the village of Babenki where a new infectious diseases hospital for virus patients is being built


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POLAND: Mobile emergency rooms are set up outside University Hospital in Krakow to test suspected coronavirus patients
Trump announced today's press conference after reports out of Brazil said the Bolsonaro tested positive for coronavirus. One of the major newspapers in Rio de Janeiro, Journal O Dia, noted The Guardian's Tom Phillips, reported the news of Bolsonaro's positive test. 
Bolsonaro, 64, was checked for the disease after his aide Fabio Wajngarten tested positive for it. 
But a second test that came back on Friday showed the president tested negative, according to a statement on Bolsonaro's official Facebook page, which is adding to the questions and confusion.  
'The Armed Forces Hospital and (diagnostic laboratory) Sabin have returned a negative test result for COVID-19 for the President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro,' the posting said. It was accompanied by a photo of Bolsonaro flashing an obscene arm gesture at the press.
On Thursday, Trump brushed aside concerns about his encounter with the Brazilians - the latest in a series of brushes the president has had with the highly-contagious disease. 
Both Bolsonaro and Wajngarten, his press secretary, were at the Winter White House Saturday night. Wajngarten had his photo take with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. 


+15


MARCH 7: Trump, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro with President Trump, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, and Ivanka Trump at a working dinner at Mar-a-Lago
Trump and the first family have resisted going into self-quarantine despite other lawmakers who came into contact with those testing positive for the disease going into voluntary isolation. 
Other world leaders are self-quarantining. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in a voluntary 14-day quarantine after his wife, Sophie, tested positive for the disease.  
Several members of the first family were at the Winter White House Saturday night where there was a birthday party for Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., in addition to the working dinner for the Brazilian delegation. 
One of those was Ivanka Trump, who, it was revealed late Thursday, had another brush with the disease. 
She and Attorney General Bill Barr posed for a photograph with Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on March 5 - days before he tested positive for coronavirus. 
They were meeting as part of a meeting between officials from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. The next day, Ivanka Trump attended the dinner at Mar-a-Lago with her father and Bolsonaro.
Ivanka Trump stayed home on Friday but is showing no symptoms, does not need to self-quarantine and stayed home out of an abundance of caution, the White House said

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51888936

Coron

Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionSpain has reported a steep rise in cases in recent days
Coronavirus cases in Spain have risen by 1,500 to more than 5,700, public health officials say.
Spain is the worst affected country in Europe after Italy, which has more than 15,000 cases.
The Spanish government is set to announce a lockdown as part of a national state of emergency, according to local media reports.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe was now the "epicentre" of the pandemic.
Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to use aggressive measures, community mobilisation and social distancing to save lives.
Several European countries have reported steep rises in infections and deaths in recent days.

What is the situation in Spain?

Spain reported 136 fatalities by Saturday. Infections there have increased to 5,753, up by more than 1,500 from 4,231 on Friday night.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is set to announce emergency measures to combat the crisis shortly.
This will be only the second state of emergency in the country since the transition to democracy began in 1975, the first being a 2010 air traffic controllers' strike.
Local measures are already in force. The authorities in Madrid and its surrounding area have ordered the closure of most bars, restaurants and shops.





Shops selling foodstuffs, pharmacies and petrol stations are exempt. Similar measures have been brought in elsewhere, including the regions of Galicia and Catalonia.
The mayor of the southern city of Seville said he had suspended the famous Easter processions.
Catalan regional leader Quid Torra has said he wants to seal off the whole region, and has asked the authorities in Madrid to block access by air, rail and sea.
On Thursday the region's authorities locked down four towns north of Barcelona with a high number of cases.
Airlines are also stopping flights to Spain. Low-cost leisure airline Jet2 turned back planes in mid-air on Saturday as it announced it was cancelling all flights.
All but "essential travel" to parts of Spain should be avoided, says the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

So tomorrow is "National Prayer Day". I know what I'll be praying for.

PAN, Katie, Joanna and anyone else in the UK - Please be safe! This is getting scary. Has any health official there said that you can build up immunity to this virus? I ask because yesterday I heard a couple of doctors say that they're not sure. They think it may mutate so that it won't be the same when it comes back around again.

Lizzy, in listening to so many medical and science experts talk in the last couple of weeks there are no definitive answers about this virus yet.  Not enough research and past experience to conclusively say how exactly it spreads, or if  a person can get reinfected or is it possible to build up a resistance to it over time.  And can the virus mutate over time?  I’ve heard different experts say different things.  The issue of how you can contract it or not from just touching a surface that’s contaminated (and how long the germs can live on a surface) has not been clearly determined.  Some experts have said a person contracts the virus mainly from droplets circulating in the air.  So many questions and no definitive answers.  That’s why so many people are just plain confused as to how to manage this crisis. This uncertainty can eventually lead to chaos especially the longer we are expected to isolate ourselves from family, friends and coworkers.

I hope all our friends here on COH are staying safe and well and in general staying away from crowds, especially in close quarters, and washing and washing and washing hands!

party animal - not! wrote:Well done, Nancy!

Couldn’t agree more PAN.  This current term for Nancy as Speaker of the House has to be the most challenging of her congressional career.  She is a force to be reckoned with.  I couldn’t be more proud of her!

Donnamarie - I know there's no certainty about this disease, but in the Mailonline article by Jack Newman that Annemarie posted, he said that the British government is pursuing a policy that they hope will slow down the spread of the virus and take pressure off the NHS.
     "This will mean the virus can continue to infect healthy people and allow them to recover from the infection and become immune."

That's why I asked whether health officials in the UK have said anything about immunity. That statement implies a belief that immunity is possible.

(PS - Anyone who can, please donate to Katie Porter for re-election. She's amazing and we need her to stay where she is. If she were running for president she'd have my vote in a NY minute!)

Yep, you have some brilliant ladies over there at the moment - Porter,Wasselman Schultz, Cortes Masto, Hirono, Walters, to name but a few.

Yes apparently immunity is likely to be possible according to health officials here which is why they're taking a slightly different stance here - but the irony of rules that may be coming in shortly is that the likes of Nancy Pelosi will be regarded as 'of a certain age' i e over 70 or elderly and there are plans afoot to get that entire group to self-isolate so that the hospitals cancope.

Of course the only way that works apparently is testing, testing and  testing - and isolating.

Those in the workforce are already doing staggered days in the office

PAN -Thanks. Thanks to our incompetent government it's hard to know what to believe about this virus. Everything is so fragmented and contradictory. It's reassuring to hear from a reliable source that immunity is possible.

Here many businesses and venues are just shutting down for an indefinite period - some for good.  Many are asking their employees to work from home and some are just laying off employees for the time being. Some states have closed schools - others have not. In NY 2 students have tested positive and teachers are threatening a sick-out if the schools aren't closed. Testing supplies are becoming more available so more people can be screened, but we're still being advised to avoid crowds and wash hands as the best preventives. It's a mess. Self-isolating isn't just a preventive measure - it's a sanity saver!

Yes, we do have a lot of great women in government. Too bad they aren't running the place.

For those who want to sit down with a knowledge friend have a coffee....and talk it through....

Namaste ....




Ireland closed all schools colleges and many other institutions. On Thursday when the announcement was made, the closure would happen that day at 6pm, we had 29 cases and one death.... from Thursday to Saturday that figure has gone to 90 cases 2 deaths.....

I drove through the city tonight.... usually Party Central now a ghost town, even the drunks looked sober ... I can tell you as a nation we have bought into the strategy ..... 

Very clean fingers crossed....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8114015/Donald-Trump-tries-pay-German-company-creating-experimental-coronavirus-vaccine-US.html

[size=34]Donald Trump 'offers to pay German company creating experimental coronavirus vaccine to move to the US and make it exclusively for Americans'[/size]

• Donald Trump has offered funds to lure German company CureVac to the US
  
  
• Germany government has made counter-offers to make the company stay 
  
  
• Germany is trying to stop the US from enticing CureVac to move its research to the US, insisting no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine
  
  
• Trump is reportedly trying to secure the scientists' work exclusively for the US
  
  
• CureVac said last week they are working with a multitude of coronavirus vaccine candidates and was now selecting the two best to go into clinical trials
  
  
• CureVac CEO Daniel Menichella met Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to discuss a vaccine on March 2
  
  
• Curevac is a private company founded in 2008 based in Tuebingen with other sites in Frankfurt and Boston 
  
  
• Company aims to have an experimental vaccine ready by June or July then will seek the go-ahead from regulators for testing on humans
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By REUTERS and MARLENE LENTHANG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:01 EDT, 15 March 2020 | UPDATED: 11:29 EDT, 15 March 2020

     


German officials are trying to stop the Trump administration from luring German biopharmeceutical company CureVac to the US to get its experimental coronavirus vaccines exclusively for Americans.    
President Donald Trump has offered funds to lure the company CureVac to the US. The German government has made counter-offers to make the company stay, according to a report in German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
An unidentified German government source told the paper Trump is trying to secure the scientists' work exclusively, and would do anything to get a vaccine for the United States - 'but only for the United States.' 
CureVac said last week they are working on with a multitude of coronavirus vaccine candidates and are selecting the two best to go into clinical trials. 
The company's CEO met with President Donald Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to discuss a vaccine earlier this month.
German politicians are now insisting that no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine. 
DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House for comment.  


+5


German officials are trying to stop the US from enticing German company CureVac to move its research to the US, insisting no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine. President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure the company CureVac to the US to reportedly get the vaccine exclusively for Americans
'The German government is very interested in ensuring that vaccines and active substances against the new coronavirus are also developed in Germany and Europe,' the newspaper quoted a Health Ministry official as saying.
'In this regard, the government is in intensive exchange with the company CureVac.'
A spokeswoman for the German Health Ministry said: 'We confirm the report in the Welt am Sonntag.' 
The US Embassy in Berlin and CureVac is yet to comment on the report.    
'The exclusive sale of a possible vaccine to the USA must be prevented by all means. Capitalism has limits,' Karl Lauterbach, a professor of health economics and epidemiology who is also a senior lawmaker with the Social Democrats, tweeted in reaction to the report.
Curevac is a private company founded in 2008 based in Tuebingen with other sites in Frankfurt and Boston. 
CureVac said the company is getting ready to take experimental coronavirus vaccines to clinical trials, Florian von der Muelbe, CureVac's chief production officer and co-founder, said last week. 
The company hopes to have an experimental vaccine ready by June or July to then seek the go-ahead from regulators for testing on humans. 




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Former CureVac CEO Daniel Menichella (right), accompanied by Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (left), speaks during the White House meeting with pharmaceutical executives on March 2


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'We believe we can develop the vaccine for COVID-19 very, very quickly, and we have the wherewithal to manufacture it, although we would like some additional help on our largest GMP fourth facility,' Menichella said at the White House meeting, nine days before he was replaced



Curevac is a private biopharmeceutical company founded in 2008 based in Tuebingen with other sites in Frankfurt and Boston
The company said that a mode of action that allowed for a low dosage to trigger an immune reaction against rabies would be applied in the coronavirus setting.   
'These minimal dosages that we have achieved put us in a position here in Tuebingen to produce up to 10 million doses per (production) campaign,' von der Muelbe said of a potential vaccine. 
A campaign, or production cycle, lasts several weeks. 
'More than one dose may be required to immunize a person, but one campaign would still serve several million people,' he said.  
Then-CureVac CEO Daniel Menichella met Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and senior representatives of pharmaceutical and biotech companies to discuss a vaccine at the White House on March 2. 
'We believe we can develop the vaccine for COVID-19 very, very quickly, and we have the wherewithal to manufacture it, although we would like some additional help on our largest GMP fourth facility,' Menichella said at that meeting. 
[size=18]Trump spars with coronavirus expert over timeframe for vaccine




Lo[/size]












+5


In the US as of Sunday morning there are over 2,900 cases of coronavirus and at least 58 deaths. People pictured wearing masks in New York City Saturday 


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This map shows the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the US as of Sunday 
In that White House meeting the top executives from nearly a dozen biotech and pharmaceutical companies briefed Trump on their coronavirus drug development plans. 
Menichella, who became CEO in May 2018, was abruptly replaced by board chairman Ingmar Hoerr just nine days after his DC meeting with Trump and drugmakers. 
'We will continue to focus fully on taking the company to the next stage of its development and advance our clinical product pipeline with the goal of bringing mRNA-based drugs to patients. The vaccine against Covid-19 plays a key role here,' Hoerr said according to BioPharma Dive after Menichella was ousted. 
CureVac specializes in RNA molecules that instruct human cells to produce therapeutic proteins that trigger an immune response to cancer or infection diseases. 
CureVac was granted $8.3million by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations in January to build a solution based on its low-dose vaccine technology. 
Dievini Hopp BioTech Holding and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are two prominent investors in CureVac.  
Top US health officials have said that it would take up to 18 months to develop any vaccine against the pathogen.

I don’t know how the US can get this under control without shutting down completely.  Like Italy and Spain.  Right now the so-called epicenter is considered Europe.  I can’t imagine that eventually the US will be the epicenter.  Dr. Fauci said this morning that he thinks the best way to get this virus under control is to take drastic actions.  Even if those actions don’t seem realistic to a country as large as ours.  It would be really logistically painful and economically damaging but the alternative doesn’t look too good either.
But in reading news articles today different parts of the country are handling this situation in different ways.  And there are still way too many people who are not taking the virus spread seriously, especially  older Republicans who 
think this is all do about nothing.  That mindset has been propagated in large part by Fox News ... thank you very much :/

Regardless the leadership in our country right now prevents any forward thinking and aggressive research as to all the outstanding questions regarding coronavirus.  We will probably have to leave it to private medical research to guide us until we get rid of the morons in our government.

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1239235052757757963

That drumpf would try to buy a cure exclusively for the US is despicable. I hope someone has enough clout at CureVac to keep them from accepting his offer. If they come up with a vaccine it should be shared worldwide and not turned into another way fro drumpf to profit off other people's misery.

Donnamarie - There's an interesting article in today's Washington Post on how to track the spread of the virus, using different mathematical models.  One seems similar to the model mentioned in the article posted earlier by Annemarie from MailOnline. Basically the idea is that most people have probably come in contact with the virus already, so by self-isolating each of us will either recover or become sick enough to receive medical attention, and at the same time minimize the possibility of passing the virus on to others.

Our mayor and governor seem to be following this plan.  People entering the country through NY may not even be tested or tracked. They'll be asked if they're sick and told to self-quarantine for 14 days. They're stressing not to seek medical attention unless you're really sick so as not to overwhelm the hospitals or waste scarce medical supplies. I don't know if this will work, but it doesn't seem much different from what's been done so far. The main difference seems to be people being told to stay home. There are a lot of people here who can't afford to do that for too long - if at all.

I was just in the grocery store, and a man asked me if I believed in the corona virus I said yes. He told me that I was being fooled and that it doesn't exist. I didn't ask why he thought this, I just don't care what is scary is there are others just like him in the world.

Annemarie - There's no accounting for stupid. Hopefully the people who don't believe the virus is real won't catch it and infect other people.

Interestingly the guy who used to be the managing director is American and Trump picked him to invite to the White House - at the beginning of March. His whole act is a mask of endlessly changing the subject when it suits him..........I've also noticed that the Administration are always behind with their figures.......... .

PAN - They're always behind with their figures because they have to manipulate the facts and cover their mistakes with lies.

Speaking of which, I just saw an article on MSN saying Walmart is going to cut back open hours at all its stores. Makes it seem as if they're giving their staff a break. My cousin is a manager at one of their California stores, and she told me today that the early closing is to give staff time to clean and restock the stores  - and they've all been told to work overtime to do it. Nice.

Is she going to be in charge of the  drive-in coronavirus testing unit in the car park, Lizzy!?!

The MD has offered the car parks to Trump apparently....

Hope they're being paid for the extra hours too

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8114889/New-York-City-schools-CLOSE.html

[size=34]New York City schools will CLOSE from Monday until at least April 20, non-emergency surgeries are cancelled and bars and restaurants could be CLOSED as coronavirus cases in the city hit 326 with five deaths[/size]

• Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the decision to close schools beginning Monday 
  
  
• Closure will last through at least April 20 and possibly for the rest of school year 
  
  
• The mayor said on Sunday: 'I am just distraught having to take this action' 
  
  
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office had announced the city school closure moments before de Blasio, but initially said it would start as early as Tuesday 
  
  
• 'This action is necessary to mitigate the spread of #COVID19,' Cuomo said 
  
  
• Closing the city's schools means sending more than 1.1 million children home 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By VALERIE EDWARDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 17:12 EDT, 15 March 2020 | UPDATED: 18:52 EDT, 15 March 2020

     


New York City is closing the nation's largest public school system, sending more than 1.1 million children home in hopes of curbing the spread of coronavirus.  
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the decision to close schools beginning Monday through at least April 20 and possibly for the school year, following a growing number of school closures in communities and entire states around the country and mounting pressure in New York from residents, City Council members and others. 
New York City has a total of 326 confirmed cases of the virus and five deaths. In the state of New York there are more than 700 cases. 
The mayor called it a 'very troubling moment, a moment when I'm just distraught at having to take this action, but I became convinced over the course of today that there is no other choice'. 
De Blasio also said that he will be ordering hospitals to cancel non-emergency surgeries beginning on Monday. He said there's a possibility that bars and restaurants could faces closures as the city continues to respond to COVID-19. 
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office had announced the city school closure moments before de Blasio, but initially said it would start as early as Tuesday.
'This action is necessary to reduce density and mitigate the spread of #COVID19,' Cuomo said.


+7


Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the decision to close schools beginning Monday through at least April 20 and possibly for the school year


+7


The mayor called it a 'very troubling moment, a moment when I'm just distraught at having to take this action, but I became convinced over the course of today that there is no other choice'. Students from Stuyvesant High School students are seen leaving school on Friday 
[size=10][size=18]De Blasio says NYC schools to close until after Spring break




Loa[/size][/size]

The shutdown affects the city's nearly 1,900 public schools. Many private schools already have closed. De Blasio said remote learning will begin for students K-12 on March 23.
'Our colleagues at the Department of Education have in these last weeks been setting up a remote learning system. It has never been attempted by the city of New York on this scale to say the least,' de Blasio said.  
Over the next few days, teachers will be trained how to teach remotely, de Blasio said, adding that the city needs 'our educators'.
'These children need you. These families need you. Keep their education going. Help those seniors to still graduate, we don't want to lose that,' the mayor said. 


Schools in Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties will also close for two weeks beginning Monday.
De Blasio had been reluctant to close the school system because of the consequences for students and families.
Just Saturday, the Democratic mayor said keeping schools running was critical. 
He worried that health care workers, first responders and other needed workers would have to stay home to care for children, and that hundreds of thousands of poor students could go hungry without their free or reduced-price school meals.


+7


Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office had announced the city school closure moments before de Blasio, but initially said it would start as early as Tuesday


+7


'This action is necessary to reduce density and mitigate the spread of #COVID19,' Cuomo (center, with de Blasio, right) said 


+7


On Sunday morning, Nassau County County Executive Laura Curran announced that schools throughout the county would be closed for at least the next two weeks. Nassau County has more than 1.3 million residents. Buses in Westchester County pictured on Thursday 
Multiple states had already announced they were closing schools. So have cities including Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.
A shutdown of the nation's largest public school district seemed inevitable Sunday as de Blasio lost key support to keep schools open. 
Cuomo said in an afternoon conference call with reporters that he thought it was prudent to close schools as soon as a plan was in place to ensure that children of health care workers would be cared for.

New York City coronvirus cases breakdown by borough:

Queens: 78 confirmed cases 
Manhattan: 72 confirmed cases
Brooklyn: 53 confirmed cases
Bronx: 21 confirmed cases  
Staten island: 16 confirmed cases



The governor spoke shortly after county officials shut schools in Long Island and, across the state, in all of Erie County, including Buffalo. 
Still, Cuomo said closing the schools did not mean every school should be closed entirely if a plan could be created to keep some facilities open so teachers could provide child care and children who need food could be fed.
Cuomo said it shouldn't take 24 hours to figure out such a plan.
As Cuomo spoke, George Gresham, president of the healthcare workers union SIEU 1199, called on de Blasio to close city schools, a step the mayor still seemed reluctant to take when he cited the union's support for keeping the schools open as he spoke on WABC-TV earlier Sunday.
Earlier, the union had warned that hospitals, now bracing for a flood of virus patients, could face a manpower crisis if schools closed suddenly and health care workers had to stay home with their children.
Gresham, though, said in a statement that he was now confident that a plan could be reached to provide childcare for healthcare workers through school resource centers. 


+7


In the United States, there are more than 3,400 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 60 deaths


+7


He also called on the city and state to provide more funding for childcare for healthcare workers.
'With these critical processes moving, I am now calling on Mayor de Blasio to close New York City's public schools to help protect public health and prevent the spread of COVID-19,' he said in a statement.
On Sunday morning, Nassau County County Executive Laura Curran announced that schools throughout the county adjacent to New York City would be closed for at least the next two weeks. Nassau County has more than 1.3 million residents.
Later in the day, the Suffolk County executive announced that schools there would be closed as well for the next two weeks. 
In the United States, there are more than 3,400 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 60 deaths. 
Globally, there are more than 162,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 deaths.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8114979/Donald-Trump-tells-panic-buyers-stop-hoarding-food-goods-coronavirus-death-toll-tops-60.html

[size=34]Trump urges Americans to stop coronavirus stockpiling and says the outbreak is under 'tremendous control' as Pence says stores WILL stay open indefinitely as cases across the nation hit 3,400 and death toll tops 60[/size]

• Donald Trump told American consumers Sunday to stop buying and hoarding necessities as fears of the coronavirus outbreak rocks the nation 
  
  
• 'Relax, we're doing great. It all will pass,' he said.  'You don't have to buy so much'
  
  
• The president gave a press briefing as the death toll from coronavirus in the U.S. reached 63 and nears 3,500 cases 
  
  
• Shoppers have rushed stores stocking up on nonperishable food, toilet paper bottled water and cleaning supplies 
  
  
• Retailers and grocery stores have seen shelves go empty due to panic buyers 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By KATELYN CARALLE, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 17:36 EDT, 15 March 2020 | UPDATED: 19:17 EDT, 15 March 2020

     






Donald Trump insisted Sunday that people stop panic buying and hoarding food and goods as the coronavirus death toll in the U.S. hit 63 and cases neared 3,500. 
'We're going to be so good,' Trump claimed in a press conference at the White House Sunday evening, adding, 'Relax, we're doing great. It all will pass.' 
'You don't have to buy so much. Take it easy. Just relax,' Trump said, adding that President and CEO of Walmart Doug McMillon said during a conversation earlier in the day that people were buying more than they do at Christmas. 
Trump said he spoke with the top industry leaders of various retailers and food stores about coronavirus as shelves in many stores have gone empty as Americans panic buy essentials like toilet paper and bottled water.
Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the coronavirus task force, also assured Americans during the briefing Sunday that stores would remain open indefinitely. 
'As the president said, he received a commitment from those grocery executives that stores will stay open throughout the days that lie ahead,' he said, adding that hours might be changed or reduced so they could do additional cleanings and resupplies.
'American families can be confident, your local grocery stores will be open, it's going to be well supplied. And they specifically asked us to encourage Americans just buy your weekly needs in grocery. Because the grocery stores will remain open,' he reassured.
Trump also urged Americans not to raid stores and hoard supplies during this time. 
'There's no need for anybody in the country to hoard essential food supplies,' he insisted.
'They said to me, 'Could you please tell them, just go and buy, enjoy it, have a nice dinner, relax, because there's plenty,' he said of top industry leaders. 
[size=10][size=18]Trump tells Americans to stop hoarding essential food supplies




Loa[/size][/size]

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Donald Trump told American consumers to stop buying and hoarding necessities as fears of the coronavirus outbreak rocks the nation


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'You don't have to buy so much. Take it easy. Just relax,' he said during a briefing at the White House Sunday evening on the developing coronavirus crisis


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He left before other members of the coronavirus task force spoke and without taking any questions from the press


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Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading the coronavirus task force, reiterated that stores would remain open when he took over the briefing for the president


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'American families can be confident, your local grocery stores will be open, it's going to be well supplied,' he said, urging Americans only to buy their weekly needs for groceries and necessities
'But you don't have to buy the quantities because it's hard to refill the stores on a basis as rapid as they're refilling them,' he continued.  
'They're going to work 24-hours round the clock keeping their stores stocked. I would like to say people shouldn't go out and buy – we're going to all be great. 
'They've actually asked me to say, 'Could you buy a little bit less, please?' I thought I'd never hear that from a retailer,' Trump quipped, lightening the mood in the press briefing room.
The president said the federal, state and local governments are all working with these retail leaders, including Walmart, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Publix and several more, to ensure there are no shortages of goods and food.
'We have no shortages other than people are buying anywhere from 3-5 times what they would normally buy. It's going to be there for a long time,' he assured. 'There's a pent up demand, that's incredible.' 
He also claimed that he told these CEOs, owners and presidents during his call earlier in the day that they must remain open to keep supplying to American people.
'They're committed to remaining open during this crisis. Totally open. They have to stay open. Those stores have to stay open. They supply our country,' he said of the stores.
'The stores are stocking up at a level that's beyond Christmastime. And it's great. It was very reassuring speaking to these people. They have it totally in hand,' he said.
Videos and images swarmed the internet over the last week of Americans rushing to stores and clearing the shelves of essential food and supplies.
Many took to social media to complain they could not buy things like toilet paper, hand sanitizer or bottled water when they attempted to do their normal shopping. 


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Trump said he spoke with retail and grocery industry leaders as Americans began stocking up and hoarding essentials like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, nonperishable food and bottled water


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Shelves were empties of food and supplies at stores like Walmart, Target, Publix, Whole Foods and Costco
Trump declared a national state of emergency on Friday and extended the Europe travel ban, which he announced on Wednesday, to include the U.K. and Ireland.
Thousands of Americans returned to the U.S. from European vacations over the weekend and faced up to eight hour wait times to get through customs at the only 13 'funnel' U.S. airports.
The death toll in the U.S. from coronavirus reached 63 on Sunday and is nearing 3,500 cases.
At the same time the briefing continued with members of the coronavirus task force, New York City declared public schools would close until April 20 at the earliest – meaning students would miss more than a month of school due to the outbreak. 
Trump did not take any questions from reporters gathered at the White House for the briefing, claiming he had to go take calls related to responding to coronavirus.
He instead handed off the briefing to his No. 2. 
Pence deferred to Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar when DailyMail.com asked about potential plans to build more hospital beds and to provide more ventilators.
'We don't disclose concrete numbers on particular items for national security purposes,' he said. 
'Obviously this is an unprecedented challenge, unprecedented,' Azar continued, keeping it vague. 'And so we will work to increase the supplies of personal protective equipment of ventilators of field medical units, hospitals.'
'We have tremendous supplies,' he added. 'But we want to acquire more. And that's thanks to the bipartisan work of Congress funding the emergency supplemental that gives us the money to scale up production here and abroad. And we're doing that.'
Pence also said on the matter: 'The whole issue of personal protective equipment and supplies and the capacity of our healthcare system is in the forefront of what we're talking about.'
Congress passed a bipartisan economic stimulus package in the twelfth hour Friday night to help with market fallout from the coronavirus outbreak and assist in funding for those affected. 


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Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar when DailyMail.com asked about potential plans to build more hospital beds and to provide more ventilators was vague. 'We don't disclose concrete numbers on particular items for national security purposes,' he claimed
Trump spent much of the briefing urging Americans not to hoard, but also issued rare praise to the Federal Reserve for cutting interest rates. 
'It makes me very happy and I want to congratulate the Federal Reserve. For starters they lowered the fed rate from what it was, which was 1-1.25 and it's been lowered down to 0-0.25,' he said. 'That's a big difference.'
In a massive emergency action move on Sunday to help the economy withstand the fallout from the coronavirus, the Federal Reserve slashed its interest rate to almost zero.
It also said it would buy $700 billion in Treasury and mortgage bonds.
The spur-of-the-moment announcement signaled the Federal Reserve is worried that the fast-spreading viral outbreak will depress economic growth in the U.S.
Trump is usually highly critical of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, vocally sharing his displeasure with decisions he has made in the past.

Annemarie - Not to sound cynical, but my friend's daughter is a NYC teacher and she said the UFT threatened to sue the city if the schools stayed open. As a one-time NYC teacher I firmly believe that's why DiBlasio closed the schools.

I  can't tell you how many times over the years I've awakened to some city emergency like a major storm where the mayor was advising everyone to stay off the roads, stay at home, stay safe .....oh, and by the way, schools are open as usual!

They never worried about the safety of the school staff or the kids traveling in awful weather. They only worried about the parents who didn't have babysitters ...that's what the teachers were for.

Lizzy, I get that , there is a site called redittt and on there parents are upset that schools are closed. They actually have to spend time with their kids , that is be parent's. They are complaining they can't work from home with their kids being home.

Really so you would rather be sick and make others sick. You chose to have children so deal with it and shut up.

Annemarie,

you're right: It's the parents' job to stay at spend time with their kids and to look after them. On the other hand, they worry for their jobs and know they won't get paid and might loose their jobs if they don't go to work.
Snd knowing that this doesn't last for two days like a thunderstorm but for at least vive weeks doesn't make it easier.

In Germany, all schools and kindergardens are closed until April 19th as well. But there will be a child care in schools and kindergardens for those parents working to save the public safety and system (as medical staff, rescuers, ciurt and prison staff etc), but also for those who would loose their jobs otherwise. Since elderly people like grandparents are a high-risk group, they shouldn't do it.
But everybody is asked to work from home if possible!, and you are allowed to stay at home for a certain number of days if you've got nobody to look after your kids, and you can always ask your doctor for a sick certificate for your kids or yourself (each parent is allowed to stay at home for ten days per year per child by law and the wage  is being paid). So it's not easy but it works...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8114719/Kentucky-man-coronavirus-placed-mandatory-quarantine-refusing-self-isolate.html

[size=34]Kentucky man, 53, who tested positive for coronavirus and refused to self-isolate is placed under mandatory quarantine by guard posted outside his home 24 hours a day[/size]

• Coronavirus patient is a 53-year-old resident of Nelson County, Kentucky 
  
  
• Governor Andy Beshear said the patient was one of four confirmed new cases 
  
  
• In total, there are 18 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Kentucky, Beshear said
  
  
• Dr Anthony Fauci refused to rule out a 14-day nationwide shutdown
  
  
• He said he would be 'overly aggressive and get criticized for overreacting' 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 16:28 EDT, 15 March 2020 | UPDATED: 16:59 EDT, 15 March 2020

     



Kentucky has taken the extraordinary step of forcing a resident diagnosed with coronavirus to self-quarantine after refusing to do so.
Governor Andy Beshear said on Saturday that authorities in the state found four more confirmed cases of the pathogen, including one patient in Nelson County who was forced into his home.
According to Beshear, a 53-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus at the University of Louisville.
When authorities insisted that the man self-quarantine, he refused, according to the Lexington Herald Dealer.
Dean Watts, the Nelson County judge-executive, declared a state of emergency, which triggered a rarely used law that allows him to force a resident into ‘self-isolation or quarantine.’


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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (seen above in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Friday) said that authorities had to force a resident of Nelson County to stay in his home after he tested positive for coronavirus
A law enforcement officer has now been stationed outside of the man’s home for 24 hours.
‘It’s a step I hoped I’d never have to take, but we can’t allow one person who we know has the virus to refuse to protect their neighbors,’ Beshear said.
‘We’ve got to make sure that people who have tested positive, that we know could be spreading the virus, and simply refuse to do the right thing, do the right thing.’
As of Sunday, there are 18 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Kentucky.
Beshear has instructed all hospitals in the state to suspend elective surgeries and procedures by the close of business on Wednesday.
All child care centers have been told to plan for closure on short notice.
‘We just have to do what it takes to lessen the spread of this coronavirus and I don’t want to be the governor that waits two weeks too late to take some of those steps,’ Beshear told reporters on Saturday.
The 18 confirmed cases include six in Harrison County, five in Fayette County, four in Jefferson County, one in Bourbon County, one in Montgomery County, and one in Nelson County.
The patient in Montgomery County attended Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Mount Sterling last week.
Authorities have warned those who were in attendance to self-monitor for symptoms of coronavirus.
The patient is at home in self-isolation.
The Bourbon County patient is being treated at hospital.
Meanwhile, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday he would like to see aggressive measures such as a 14-day national shutdown that would require Americans to hunker down even more to help slow spread of the coronavirus.
Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci said travel restrictions within the United States, such as to and from hard-hit Washington state and California, probably will not be needed anytime soon.
Fauci, the public face of the administration’s messaging during a round of morning TV interviews, said the country should do as much as 'we possibly could,' even if officials are criticized for 'overreacting.' 
He said he raised the issue of measures such as a shutdown with the Trump administration, and said it has been open to his ideas.
'I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,' said Fauci, a member of the White House task force on combating the spread of coronavirus. 
He heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
Fauci said the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions should already be hunkering down, but other Americans, too, should consider 'much more' restrictions on outside activity, from work and travel to possibly eating at restaurants.
'Everybody has got to get involved in distancing themselves socially,' Fauci said.
'Everything is on the table,' he said. 
'Right now, myself personally, I wouldn't go to a restaurant. I just wouldn’t because I don’t want to be in a crowded place.... 
'I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m going to be all of a sudden self-isolating for 14 days.' 
The virus has an incubation period of anywhere from two days to 14 days before symptoms emerge.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. 


For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. 
The worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 156,000 people and left more than 5,800 dead. 
The death toll in the United States has reached more than 50, while infections neared 3,000 across 49 states and the District of Columbia.


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Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci refused to rule out a 14 day national shut down as he said the US should be prepared to do 'whatever it takes' to tackle the pandemic


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When asked if he would like a two week national shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, during an interview with NBC News' Meet the Press Sunday morning, Dr Fauci said he wanted the government to take as much action 'as we possibly could'
The vast majority of people recover. 
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three weeks to six weeks to recover.
President Donald Trump last week announced a sweeping travel ban for much of Europe. 
On Saturday, he added the United Kingdom and Ireland to a list of countries that would face travel restrictions over the next 30 days. 
The State Department on Sunday said it would allow US personnel to leave their diplomatic or consular posts worldwide if they or family members were medically determined to be at a higher risk of falling very ill if exposed to the virus.
Trump also has pledged broadened US testing for the virus as major employers such as Apple Inc. have sent workers home to telework and several states and big cities, including Los Angeles and Boston, shuttered down schools for a week or more.
In the nation’s capital, White House officials said Trump tested negative for the virus over the weekend after he was recently in contact with three people at his Florida resort who tested positive, and several lawmakers in recent days have said they were self-quarantining out of an abundance of caution.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat from California, said Congress has started work on a new aid package after the one just approved by the House early Saturday. 
The new one would provide direct relief to Americans suffering physically, financially and emotionally from the coronavirus pandemic.
'We have already begun work to develop a third emergency response package,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to colleagues.
With the US Capitol among the many iconic landmarks closed to tours, Pelosi also urged lawmakers to have most of their Washington staff telework from home, as health officials urge social distancing. 
House lawmakers are away on weeklong recess and many have already curtailed office visits at their local offices, as well.
Democratic Rep Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday said a former staff member tested positive for the virus. 
The staffer, Daniel Goldman, the attorney who led Democratic questioning during the House impeachment hearings, had left the office 10 days ago and he's believed to have contracted the virus after his departure.
'We will still be taking additional precautions over the next few days,' Schiff said.
'The former staffer is feeling better and no current staff have reported any flu-like symptoms at this time.'


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Medical Personnel help load passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship onto airplanes at Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California on March 10


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Members of the National Guard guarding newly opened drive through COVID-19 mobile testing center organized by Northwell hospital at Glen Island Park, New Rochelle, New York on 13 March


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Shoppers line up to enter a Costco warehouse store in Alexandria, Virginia, Saturday, March 14. The store was sold out of numerous items including toilet paper, paper towels and sanitizing wipes


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Lori Spencer, who has tested positive for coronavirus, visits with her extended family through her window at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, the Seattle-area nursing home at the epicenter of one of the biggest coronavirus outbreaks in the United States, March 14
NIH reported Sunday that one of its staff working in its division on arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases had tested positive for COVID-19, its first case.
NIH said the person was not involved in patient care and was now quarantined at home and 'doing well.'
Trump has suggested that restrictions on travel within the U.S. to areas hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic could be next. 
But Fauci on Sunday played down that or having major national lockdowns on the level now seen in European countries such as Italy and Spain.
'We feel that with rather stringent mitigation and containment, without necessarily complete lockdown, we would be able to prevent ourselves from getting to where, unfortunately, Italy is now,' Fauci said.
'With regard to domestic travel bans, we always talk about it, consider everything.
'But I can tell you that has not been seriously considered, doing travel bans in the country. ... I don’t see that right now or in the immediate future.'
At the White House, Trump on Sunday held a call with more than two dozen grocery store and supply chain executives to discuss their response to coronavirus outbreak.
Retailers have reported seeing a crush of shoppers flocking to stores to stock up on food and other essentials. 
Consumers have expressed frustration that some items - such as hand sanitizer and toilet paper - are becoming more difficult to find. 
During the call, Trump expressed appreciation for their work to ensure food stocks are 'constantly available' so 'Americans feel calm and safe when shelves are stocked with the items they need,' according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.
'Supply chains in the United States are strong, and it is unnecessary for the American public to hoard daily essentials,' Deere said.
Still, more than the crisis was on Trump’s mind. 
[size=18]Anthony Fauci says the US has not reached the peak of coronavirus




Load[/size]







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Anthony Fauci admitted that the death toll in the U.S. from coronavirus could reach 1.7 million if all efforts to mitigate and contain the virus fail


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Fauci is the nation's top immunologist and expert on infectious diseases at the National Institute of Health – he is present at every White House briefing on coronavirus. 'I don't think it's going to be that worse,' he said of the Times' analysis


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The New York Times released a CDC scenario estimate of the 'worst case scenario' in the U.S., which would include up to 1.7 million deaths and more than 200 million cases
He tweeted that he was considering a full pardon for Michael Flynn, his disgraced former national security adviser, and he directed barbs at a familiar target, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow expressed confidence that supply lines such as food for stores will be largely unaffected by the virus outbreak.
'Most of America is still working,' he said. 
'Factories are not shutting down across the country, at least not yet.'

Trump, who declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer, said he tuned in to the live stream from the Free Chapel, a Gainesville, Georgia evangelical church led by Jentezen Franklin.
'I am watching a great and beautiful service by Pastor Jentezen Franklin. Thank you!' Trump tweeted.
Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the White House task force, said he planned to disclose more details about a web site being developed by Verily, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, that is being designed to help communities assess and direct Americans to sites conducting coronavirus screening.
Trump on Friday announced the imminent rollout of a website 'facilitated' by Google that would guide users through a series of questions to determine whether they should be screened for the virus. 
The company, however, has said that the web site was in early stages of development and would be focused on the San Francisco Bay Area.
Fauci spoke on NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s State of the Union, ABC’s This Week, Fox News Sunday, and CBS’ Face the Nation.

This is interesting(!?)

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1182694.shtml

HOME >> CHINA,WORLD

US urged to explain military lab shutdown

By Leng Shumei Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/15 22:03:40

---

Passenger with face mask is seen in a metro train in Manhattan of New York, the US, on March 4. Photo: Xinhua


Netizens and experts are calling for the US government to release information on the suspension of an infectious disease research lab under the US Army, as a petition on the White House website listed coincident events between the closure and the outbreak of COVID-19, urging the US government to clarify whether the lab was related to the deadly virus. 

While the origin of the novel coronavirus is still unknown and conspiracy theories have caused widespread panic, experts said that timely information disclosure to the public would benefit global unity and cooperation against the pandemic, which had infected more than 150,000 people and killed 5,400 around the world as of Saturday.  

The Fort Detrick laboratory that handles high-level disease-causing material, such as Ebola, in Fredrick, Maryland was shut after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a cease and desist order to the organization in July, 2019 according to local media.

The suspension was due to multiple causes, including failure to follow local procedures and a lack of periodic recertification training for workers in the biocontainment laboratories. The wastewater decontamination system of the lab also failed to meet standards set by the Federal Select Agent Program, media reported.

The lab, which was closed more than half a year ago, recently caught public attention as a petition submitted to the White House website on March 10 listed some coincidences in time between the closure and the COVID-19 outbreak. 

For example, "a large-scale 'influenza' killed more than 10,000 people" in the US in August 2019 following the closure; and the COVID-19 epidemic broke out globally in February 2020 after the US organized Event 201 - A Global Pandemic Exercise - in October 2019. 

The petition also noted that many English-language news reports about the closure of Fort Detrick were deleted amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, raising suspicions over the lab's relationship with the novel coronavirus. 

Petitioners urged the US government to publish the real reason for the lab's closure and to clarify whether the lab was related to the novel coronavirus and whether there was a virus leak. 

The petition had received just more than 400 signatures as of Sunday. 

Chinese netizens urged the US government to respond to the public's appeals as soon as possible. 

"It's not a small issue, the truth should be published," an internet user commented. 

"The world deserves to know the truth," said another. 

Ni Feng, a deputy director of the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, called on the US government to increase transparency in the COVID-19 pandemic related issues in response to wide-spread doubts.   

The origin of the virus should be decided according to scientific research, but the urgent issue at the current stage is to cooperate in the global battle against the pandemic, Ni noted. 

Wang Yiwei, a professor with the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, agreed with Ni, noting that the US had behaved badly to China when the latter was struggling with the epidemic - accusing China of low transparency and blaming a Chinese lab for leaking the virus.

Now China has won the conviction of the world with practical efforts and improvements. The US should cooperate sincerely with China and the world against the virus, according to Wang.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8116693/Senate-not-pass-emergency-coronavirus-bailout-DAYS-Republicans-oppose-package.html

[size=34]Senate will not pass emergency coronavirus bailout for DAYS and some Republicans are believed to oppose package which includes sick pay guarantees for sufferers[/size]

• The Senate will remain in session this week, despite the coronavirus outbreak
  
  
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to bring the emergency coronavirus stimulus package for a vote – but not until later in the week 
  
  
• Instead, the Senate is first voting on renewing intelligence surveillance laws 
  
  
• Democratic Senator Dick Durbin asserted the Senate should bring the bill up for a vote by unanimous consent instead of focusing on renewing FISA 
  
  
• 'Given this pandemic, time is of the essence and we should not delay,' he said in a statement Sunday
  
  
• The Senate is heading to the Capitol as the House recesses as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the nation
  
  
• The average age of senators is 62.9, meaning dozens of lawmakers on the Hill this week are higher-risk individuals
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By KATELYN CARALLE, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 08:32 EDT, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 10:01 EDT, 16 March 2020

     




The economic stimulus package for coronavirus might not reach the Senate floor until late this week as Republicans voice concerns over some measures in the bill.
Aides to GOP leadership say there are senators who oppose the House's version of the coronavirus relief package, according to Politico, making it unlikely that it will be voted on in the upper chamber earlier in the week.
Later in the evening Monday, the Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on renewing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act – but if senators want to bring the stimulus package ahead of the FISA bill, it will require unanimous consent.
'In light of the President's emergency declaration, it is imperative that the Senate pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act by unanimous consent (UC) immediately,' Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin asserted in a statement Sunday.
'Given this pandemic, time is of the essence and we should not delay,' he continued, adding that the House was able to get the measure through by Friday with 90 per cent of representatives voting in favor or the package.


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The Senate will remain in session this week, despite the coronavirus outbreak, as it is expected to bring the stimulus package for a vote – but not until later in the week


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Democratic Senator Dick Durbin asserted the Senate should bring the bill up for a vote by unanimous consent instead of focusing on renewing FISA. 'Given this pandemic, time is of the essence and we should not delay,' he said in a statement Sunday


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Some GOP lawmakers, according to aides, are not satisfied with some of the measures in the bill. Meaning it could be even further delayed
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is on the administration's coronavirus task force, worked with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all last week to get a bipartisan bill proposed and passed in the Democratic-controlled House.
He will again head to Capitol Hill Tuesday to sit down with Republican senators during their luncheon to discuss the bill.
Although much of the country has shut down establishments like bars, schools and offices – and the House has vacated the Capitol for recess – the consensus among Republican and Democratic senators is that the upper chamber will remain in session all week as it looks to renew FISA and pass the coronavirus response legislation.
The average age of U.S. senators is 62.9, with 48 of the 100 over the age of 65, meaning there will be dozens of individuals who are at higher risk gathering together in the nation's capital for a full week.
Many senators have already shuttered their Washington D.C. offices to help stop the spread, but there will be many staffers on the Hill this week to help get coronavirus legislation through the Senate.
This means there will also be members of the press at the Capitol to cover the events as they unfold.
Before the Senate can even bring the package up for a vote, the House must make technical corrections to its version of the bill, further delaying the economic relief package meant to help those experiencing economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.


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The bill includes measures aimed at helping hourly workers, those receiving food stamps and is meant to help stimulate the economy as it experienced its rockiest week in years as investors were shaken by the virus and response.
It also guarantees sick paid leave for those who contract coronavirus.
Deaths in the U.S. from coronavirus is nearing 70 as it hit 69 on Monday morning and the number of confirmed cases is at 3,774. 
Some states have it worse than others and have taken extra precautions to limit the spread of the respiratory virus.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has requested and strongly recommended people 65 and older stay home.
New York City has also closed its public schools until April 20 at the earliest, meaning students will miss more than a month of school in the best case scenario.


Donald Trump is among the more at-risk Americans, but said Saturday after getting tested for coronavirus that he was cleared, despite coming in contact with a press aide to the Brazilian president, who tested positive.
Following the current economic stimulus package's passage, lawmakers will attempt to pass an additional bill with even more relief for individuals and businesses.
Trump is pushing for a payroll tax cut, which didn't make it into the current package as Democrats, and several Republicans, opposed the measure.
The White House was criticized for pushing for the stipulation, insisting it focused too much on economic stimulus and not enough on providing relief for Americans affected by the outbreak.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8116513/Two-emergency-doctors-one-40s-Washington-one-70-NJ-critical-coronavirus.html

[size=34]Two emergency doctors - a medic in his 40s in Washington and a 70-year-old New Jersey physician - are in critical condition after being infected with coronavirus, medical body reveals[/size]

• Dr James Pruden was hospitalized in  Paterson, New Jersey with respiratory problems, on March 6 
  
  
• He has since tested positive with the virus and has agreed to be named to warn others to get tested   
  
  
• Another, unnamed doctor in his 40s in Kirkland, Washington, is also in critical condition with the virus 
  
  
• He worked at edical Center where at least 15 died from virus
  
  
• There are now more than 3,800 cases of the virus across America and 69 deaths 
  
  
• The advice so far has been that the sick and elderly are the worst affected
  
  
• However some doctors have warned the virus won't just impact them and could put younger, healthier people at risk  
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By CHRIS DYER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 07:41 EDT, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 10:24 EDT, 16 March 2020

     




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Dr James Pruden, of St Joseph's Health Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, contracted coronavirus and is in isolation in intensive care
Two emergency room doctors have become the latest coronavirus victims are in the hospital in critical condition. 
One is a 70-year-old who has respiratory problems but the other is in their 40s and had no underlying health concerns. 
Dr. James Pruden from Paterson, New Jersey, is in isolation after contracting the virus. 
He was hospitalized 10 days ago with respiratory problems and has since agreed to be named and pictured in the hope that it will urge others who came into contact with him to take the necessary precautions. 
It is unclear whether Dr.Pruden contracted the virus by treating patients, or if he was exposed outside the hospital. 
'He recognizes by sharing his name and condition it may encourage others to come forward and get tested.  
'The point we want to make is we are all at risk of this,' St. Joseph’s Health President Kevin Slavin said last week. 
The other doctor has not been named. 
He works at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland, Washington, where there have been 40 deaths.   
Dr Liam Yore, the immediate past president of the Washington Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, told The Seattle Times the doctor was in his 40s. 
Yore told the newspaper the doctor had used personal protective equipment and that it was not known whether the physician contracted COVID-19 in the community or at work.
He also said doctors are concerned about the supply chain for equipment and the capacity of ERs and intensive care units to be able to help new patients as the epidemic gets worse. 
Twenty-nine of the deaths in Washington state are linked to the Life Care Center of Kirkland, the nursing home at the center of the outbreak in the hard-hit region.


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Workers filing in on Friday to begin cleaning at Life Care Center of Kirkland after several cases of coronavirsu were linked to the care facility 


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Dr Pruden helped lead St Joseph's Health through a swine flu outbreak in 2009 and Ebola response in 2014, according to NorthJersey.com.
He also acted as a first responder during 9/11, led a team of relief healthcare workers after hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, in 2017 and has been working at the New Jersey hospital since 1982.

[size=34]States implement closures of bars and restaurants[/size]

California: Effective immediately 
Gov Gavin Newsom called for the closure of all bars and advised restaurants to cut seating capacity by 50 per cent.  
Ohio: Effective March 15-Indefinitely
The order will shut down all in-person dining, but restaurants and bars will still offer carryout and delivery. 
Illinois: Effective March 16-30 
Ordered the closure of bars and restaurants for two weeks. Drive-through and pickup services at restaurants will still be allowed. 
Massachusetts: Effective March 17-April 17 
Massachusetts Gov Charlie Baker banned gatherings with more than 25 people and limited restaurants to offer take-out only. Baker also ordered the closure of all bars. 
New York City: Effective March 17 
The city will close all bars and restaurants beginning Tuesday, but customers still have takeout and delivery options.
Washington state:  Effective March 16-31
Governor Jay Inslee announced that bars and restaurants will be closed beginning Monday, but customers will still have takeout and delivery options. 
 



Dr Pruden was described as a 'legend' and a 'beloved member of medical staff' in the Paterson community, St Joseph's Health president Kevin Slavin said.
Governor Phil Murphy said of Dr Pruden at a press briefing: 'He's one of the really good guys and one of the best professionals in the state.' 
The news of his diagnosis comes as large swathes of America are shutting down after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday night advised against holding large gatherings of more than 50 people for at least eight weeks to fight coronavirus.
The closures as a result of the spreading virus included:
The recommendations led to four states ordering bars and restaurants to effectively shut - limiting them to take out only - and New York City ordered the same as well as the shutting down of nightclubs, cinemas and theaters.
Washington, Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts all ordered bars and restaurants to offer take out food only. California has asked all bars to shut and Los Angeles has ordered owners of establishments to shut them down. 
Las Vegas mega resorts owned by MGM and Wynn also announced on Sunday they will be halting operations of all Nevada hotels and casinos as the virus continues its spread. .
Dr Angela Fusaro, an emergency doctor in Atlanta, said doctors and nurses are at risk of catching COVID-19 due to their proximity to infected patients.
She told the Times: 'Things that might be necessary to stabilize their [patients'] life are pretty intimate.
'If you have to put in a breathing tube, you are going to be right up against them. 
'You can't practice that type of medicine from afar.' 
EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland said in a statement on Sunday that the hospitalized doctor was in 'critical condition but stable'.
At least 42 people have died from COVID-19 in Washington and there are more than 750 confirmed cases statewide. 
It also emerged that the NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Edward Delatorre fell ill with a fever and tested positive for the coronavirus. 
The US Navy reported its first suspected case on Sunday of the coronavirus aboard a ship.
Late Sunday evening, New York's mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced that all bars and restaurants would close effective Tuesday morning. 


+8


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised officials across the United States to crack down on large gatherings of more than 50 people for at least eight weeks as the governors of California, Illinois and Ohio close all of the bars in their states
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said all bars and nightclubs will close and restaurants must halt dine-in service and limit their business to takeout orders beginning at midnight. 
Movie theaters, gyms and fitness centers will also be closed, Garcetti said, adding that grocery stores, pharmacies and food banks will remain open. 
The worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 169,000 people and left more than 6,500 dead, with thousands of new cases confirmed each day. 
In the United States, there are more than 3,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and nearly 70 deaths. 
President Donald Trump earlier on Sunday urged Americans not to stockpile food and told citizens to 'take it easy'.
He joked during a press conference at the White House: 'You don't have to buy so much. Take it easy. Just relax.
'They've [retailers] actually asked me to say, ''Could you buy a little bit less, please?'' I thought I'd never hear that from a retailer.'
Vice President Mike Pence also insisted that food stores will stay open indefinitely as the White House worked with retailers to ensure there are no shortages of goods and food. 
 

Trading is halted at the opening bell after the Dow plummets by 2,250 points - 9% - wiping out ALL of Friday's gains - as Wall Street buckles under deepening coronavirus chaos despite frantic bailouts from the world's banks 
Trading was immediately halted on Monday at the opening bell as the Dow plummeted by 2,250 points - nine percent - and the futures market tanked amid the deepening coronavirus crisis. 
Trading began at 20,935 - a decrease of 9.71 percent - 2,250.46 points - since Friday's historic day of recovery on the Dow. 
The S&P 500 fell by more than eight percent which kicked into gear what is known as a circuit breaker - a mechanism which acts like a kill switch to stop trading before prices can fall by too much. 
Trading resumed 15 minutes after the first breaker and fell further.


+8


Traders on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday as the S&P 500 fell by eight percent at the opening bell - immediately halting trading - and the Dow plummeted too 


+8




+8



The Dow was down by 2,250 points on Monday - 9.71 percent - at the opening bell 
The Dow fell further and by 10am, was down by 11 percent, as was the S&P 500. 
The S&P 500 needs to fall by another 13 percent before trading is halted until 3.25pm. 
Then, it will then have to plummet by 20 percent to be halted for the rest of the day. 

[size=34]IMF SAYS IT WILL MOBILIZE $1 TRILLION TO EASE CRISIS AND AVOID GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN[/size]

The International Monetary Fund says it will mobilize $1trillion to ease the coronavirus crisis and keep the world's economy going. 
In a statement on Monday, managing director Kristaline Georgieva said: 'As a first line of defense, the Fund can deploy its flexible and rapid-disbursing emergency response toolkit to help countries with urgent balance-of-payment needs. 
'The Fund already has 40 ongoing arrangements — both disbursing and precautionary — with combined commitments of about $200 billion. 
'In many cases, these arrangements can provide another vehicle for the rapid disbursement of crisis financing.' 
She went on: 'While quarantining and social distancing is the right prescription to combat COVID-19’s public health impact, the exact opposite is needed when it comes to securing the global economy.
'Constant contact and close coordination are the best medicine to ensure that the economic pain inflicted by the virus is relatively short-lived.
'Many governments have already taken significant steps, with major measures being announced on a daily basis—including yesterday’s bold, coordinated moves on monetary policy.
'But clearly, even more needs to be done. 
'As the virus spreads, increased coordinated action will be key to boosting confidence and providing stability to the global economy.



It came after the Federal Reserve bank slashed interest rates to zero and announced a $700billion plan to buy government and treasury bonds in a desperate effort to keep the economy afloat, the most drastic step the Fed has taken since the GFC of 2008.
All of the gains from Friday - which was the best day in Wall Street history in terms o of recovery - were wiped out in one fell swoop.  
Bars and restaurants in New York City prepared to close their doors and millions of children stayed at home under shut down orders from the state government. 
In weekend trading, futures market hit limit downs which automatically halted trading before prices got too low.
In London, £9 billion was wiped off the FTSE 100 on Monday in its worst day of trading in nine years.  The index of Britain's leading companies dropped 427 points or 8.7 per cent to 4,921 in the first 40 minutes. 
Last Monday, circuit breakers initiated a 15-minute halt on trades when prices plunged by seven percent in the first 10 minutes or so of trading at the New York Stock Exchange. 
It happened again on Thursday, the day after Trump closed the border to Europe, a decision which sent the market into bear territory. 
There was a spurt of hope on Friday, when a $1.5trillion bailout plan from the Fed revived the Dow and boosted it by 1,900 points in a single day - an increase of nine percent which gave the president reason to boast over the weekend. 
But as the virus' reach became more widespread over the weekend and decisions were made to contain it - like closing schools in New York, bars and restaurants and shutting off the border to the UK and Irerland, analysts were pessimistic.
'There's a sense this is going to peak in mid April.
'The goal right now is to keep the infection rate as low as possible at one time,' Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday morning, a worrying prediction.  
The S&P 500 index has now lost nearly $6 trillion since its record closing high in mid-February.
'A significant downturn is looming over the coming months, the only question is how deep it becomes,' said Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics in London.
'As the scale of the economic and market disruption wrought by the coronavirus becomes clear, it seems likely that investors will increasingly start to question whether policymakers have already exhausted their capacity to respond.'
Banks in Japan, Australia and New Zealand have scrambled to announce monetary easing in a coordinated effort to try to avoid another 2008-style crash.      
The IMF has also said it is ready to movilize $1trillion to ease the crisis.   
World stocks tumbled nearly 2 percent, oil prices slumped 10 percent and even safe-haven gold took a hit as France and Spain joined Italy in entering virtual lockdown to contain the fast-spreading disease. 
Bars, restaurants, theaters and movie houses in New York and Los Angeles were ordered shut.
Retailers Nike Inc, Lululemon Athletica Inc and Under Armour Inc said they would close stores, sending their shares down more than 8.5 percent. 

Here in the UK Boris has just had a press conference with the Chief  Medical Officer and essentially the advice is not to go to fun places e g restaurants and pubs - for understandably good reasons. So non-essential contact and unnecessary travel and woring from home as much as possible while recognising that that's not great for everybody = so many companies are doing two days at home, two days on work scenario. We are coming into the steep curve upwards of the disease. That also means that all 70s and vulnerable people with dodgy immune system and all pregnant ladies should stay at home for 12 weeks starting at the weekend.

[size=34]US surgeon general warns there is 'every chance that we could be Italy' where coronavirus deaths have jumped from 34 to more than 1,800 in just TWO weeks[/size]

•  Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams was speaking on Fox News on Monday
  
  
• 'When you look at projections, there's every chance we could be Italy', he said
  
  
• Two weeks ago, Italy had 1,700 cases of coronavirus and had reported 34 deaths
  
  
• Now, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths
  
  
• About 3,800 cases have been reported in the US  more than 65 people have died 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 10:27 EDT, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 14:47 EDT, 16 March 2020

     




The U.S. surgeon general said Monday that the United States is about where Italy was two weeks ago in the coronavirus struggle, a sign that infections are expected to rise in America as the government steps up testing and financial markets continue to fall.
'We are at a critical inflection point in this country, people,' Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told Fox News. 'When you look at the projections, there's every chance that we could be Italy. But there is every hope that we could be South Korea.'
Two weeks ago, Italy had 1,700 cases of coronavirus and had reported 34 deaths. Now, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths. 
About 3,800 cases have been reported in the United States and so far, more than 65 people have died from coronavirus. 
Although the numbers may not be directly comparable, the trajectory is, as Adams sees it.
Yet he said the U.S. has opportunities to mitigate the public health crisis. 


+7


General of the United States Jerome Adams, with members of the coronavirus taskforce, responds to a question from the news media during a COVID-19 coronavirus press conference


+7


The U.S. surgeon general said Monday that the United States is about where Italy was two weeks ago in the coronavirus struggle, a sign that infections are expected to rise in America


+7





+7



[size=10][size=18]Italian Ambassador: 'What is happening in Italy will happen in others'




L[/size][/size]






Adam claimed the U.S. has 'turned the tide' on testing, a critical part of tracking and containing pandemics, but whether that is true remains to be seen.


The U.S. effort has been hobbled by a series of missteps, including flaws with the testing kits first distributed by the federal government and bureaucratic hurdles that held up testing by private laboratories.
Adams said there will be 30 to 40 new testing sites running in 19 states that could each perform 2,000 to 4,000 tests a week. 
However, Brett Giroir, a senior health administration official, said community testing sites manned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and members of the U.S. public health service would be capable of testing 2,000 to 4,000 people each day, not every week. He said the federal government would begin deploying these sites on Monday.

Fox News Privacy Policy


+7


Washington Union Station, a major transportation hub in the nation's capital, is nearly empty during morning rush hour as many government and private sector workers stay home
[size=18]NY Gov. Cuomo announces tri-state shutdown of large gatherings




Loa[/size]



Asked about the shortage of intensive care beds and supply of ventilators, which are used to treat patients with respiratory problems, Adams told CNN only that supplies were growing.
Vice President Mike Pence said he and the president would brief the nation's governors Monday on the expansion of testing. 
Also coming is updated federal guidance on restaurants, bars and other establishments. California and Illinois are among jurisdictions that have ordered restaurants and bars to close to help slow the spread of the virus.
Asked whether restaurants and bars nationally should close for now, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said he wanted to wait for the guidance to come but allowed: 'That could be.'
'The worst is yet ahead for us,' Fauci said. 'It is how we respond to that challenge that is going to determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be.'


+7


President Trump worked to tamp down anxiety over the virus and called on people to stop hoarding groceries and other supplies
As President Donald Trump worked to tamp down anxiety over the virus and called on people to stop hoarding groceries and other supplies, officials in Washington were preparing for what was expected to be a long-haul effort to stem the virus that has upended life around the globe.
Trump expressed satisfaction that the Federal Reserve announced Sunday it was taking emergency action to slash its benchmark interest rate to near zero. 
The move, intended to help the economy withstand the coronavirus, came a day after Trump once again threatened to fire or demote Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
The Fed made an emergency cut to its key interest rate, slashing it by a full percentage point to a range between zero and 0.25 percent. The central bank said it would stay there until it feels confident the economy can survive a near-shutdown of activity.
But the Fed's move did not seem to calm markets. Stocks sank at Monday's opening, triggering a 15-minute halt in trading as investors worry the virus could lead to a recession.
Global stocks also fell sharply Monday after central bank moves to shore up economic growth failed to dispel investor's fears over virus controls that are shutting global business and travel. 
European and Asian stock indexes were down as much as 10 percent, as was the price of oil. Trading in Wall Street futures was halted after they fell by the maximum 5%.


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress had started work on a new aid package after the one just approved by the House early Saturday, which would provide direct relief to Americans with sick pay and other help and was pending in Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said late Sunday the next package should have even more for Americans, the health care industry and 'significant steps to secure our nation´s economy.'
With the U.S. Capitol among the many iconic landmarks closed to tours, Pelosi also urged lawmakers to have most of their Washington staff work from home, as health officials urge social distancing. House lawmakers are away on week-long recess and many have already curtailed office visits at their local offices, as well.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. 
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. The worldwide outbreak has sickened about 175,000 people and left more than 6,700 dead.
Trump in recent days has imposed sweeping travel restrictions for much of Europe. 


+7


Two weeks ago, Italy had 1,700 cases of coronavirus and had reported 34 deaths. Now, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths. Venice is pictured 
On Saturday, he added Britain and Ireland to a list of countries facing travel restrictions over the next 30 days. 
The State Department on Sunday said it would allow U.S. personnel to leave their diplomatic or consular posts worldwide if they or family members were medically determined to be at a higher risk of falling very ill if exposed to the virus.
Also, the White House said Monday it would cancel the holiday Easter Egg Roll held annually on the South Lawn.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8117729/White-House-considering-cash-payments-American.html

[size=34]BREAKING NEWS: White House is considering cash payments to U.S. workers, as Mitt Romney gets behind plan to give $1,000 to every American EACH MONTH during the coronavirus crisis[/size]

• White House considering new actions amid market slide
  
  
• Markets dropped Monday despite Fed rate cuts
  
  
• Sen. Mitt Romney calls for giving workers $1,000 per month during outbreak 
  
  
• The Dow dropped 8 per cent early Monday even after the Fed slashed interest rates 
  
  
• The Senate has yet to take up a House-passed bill responding to the crisis 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 12:45 EDT, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 13:55 EDT, 16 March 2020


The administration is considering new proposals to put cash into people's pockets amid the market sell-off, shuttered schools and new work-from-home guidelines amid looming layoffs linked to the coronavirus.
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow told DailyMail.com Monday said the administration 'might' get behind new proposals to give cash to American households.
He spoke after the financial markets began the day with another deep dive of 8 per cent, even after the Fed announced Sunday it was slashing a key interest rate.


+3



'We might': Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow said the Trump administration might get behind new proposals to give cash to American households.
Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney on Monday announced that he was for a plan to give American workers $1,000 each month during the outbreak.  
'We also urgently need to build on this legislation with additional action to help families and small businesses meet their short-term financial obligations, ease the financial burden on students entering the workforce, and protect health workers on the front lines and their patients by improving telehealth services,' the Utah senator said in a statement, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. 
'I will be pushing these measures as Senate discussions continue about an additional relief package,' he added.


+3


Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Monday he supports giving $1,000 each month to working Americans during the crisis


+3


Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang campaigned on giving $1,000 each month to every American
The House last week was able to swiftly pass legislation responding to the coronavirus outbreak, after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 
It contains provisions on paid sick leave and three months of paid emergency leave during the crisis. It was not immediately clear if these were the provisions Kudlow was referring to.
Kudlow, asked about cash assistance,' said 'We might' provide it, and appeared to reference House provisions. 
‘We've got the, you know, in the bill, there are provisions, and was also executive authorities for short term unemployment insurance or compensation. That's a possibility,' he said.  


‘We have standby authority as I say, part of the $400 billion I was talking about is emergency authorities; there is FEMA funds; there is Treasury funds that could be used in a pinch. So the answer could be yes. I don't want to be definitive on that,' he added.
With no schedule for a vote on a package with an economic response to the coronavirus, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a weekend statement saying 'discussions are already underway' on key pillars.
'The Senate is eager to work with the Administration and the House to deliver the solutions our nation deserves,' McConnell said.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blasted on provisions in the House-passed bill requiring businesses of fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide two weeks of paid sick leave. 
'I hope the Senate will approach this with a level head and pass a bill that does more good than harm — or, if it won’t, pass nothing at all,' Johnson said in a statement. 'The president and states already have adequate authority and funding to address the current situation,' he said.      
The idea of cash payments to Americans is one that was touted on the campaign trail by Democrat Andrew Yang, who wanted to give every American over 18 $12,000 each year. Democrat Cory Booker called for 'baby bonds' that would provide an initial $1,000 American Opportunity Account to roughly 4 million children, with the government making annual $2,000 contributions. 
Kudlow said the administration's aid proposals totaled $400 billion and would hit double that amount if a payroll tax holiday through the end of December gets enacted.

Wow somebody's actually spelling it out!!

I just realised Ivanka's staying at home - gosh, maybe she'll spend time with her children -? Or maybe not.....

party animal - not! wrote:Here in the UK Boris has just had a press conference with the Chief  Medical Officer and essentially the advice is not to go to fun places e g restaurants and pubs - for understandably good reasons. So non-essential contact and unnecessary travel and woring from home as much as possible while recognising that that's not great for everybody = so many companies are doing two days at home, two days on work scenario. We are coming into the steep curve upwards of the disease. That also means that all 70s and vulnerable people with dodgy immune system and all pregnant ladies should stay at home for 12 weeks starting at the weekend.

PAN, here the states’ governors are clearly taking the lead on pretty much everything including restricting the number of people who can be in bars and restaurants.  Many are closing restaurants to sit down traffic.  Only orders for carry out are being allowed.  Trump told the governors today that they need to take the lead on getting necessary medical equipment for their states and not depend on the federal government.  This idiot will not take responsibility or behave like a leader because he is fully incapable.  Nor does he want to take any blame for HIS failures. Gov. Cuomo of NY pretty much told him off in a tweet.  I hope Boris Johnson is doing a better job of managing the U.K. crisis but have to say the US has set the bar pretty damn low!

PAN - There's so much conflicting information coming out it's hard to know what to think. Our federal government can't get its act together. If the House agrees on something, the Senate either sits on it or tears it apart. Luckily, our state governments aren't waiting for drumpf's minions to act.

Your government seems to be following the "herd immunity" method of fighting the virus. I think our mayor would have gone that way, but the governor overruled him and we're being more or less forced into social distancing and isolation. I don't know which method will ultimately prove more effective. I just hope all our friends stay safe and well through it all. The longer it goes on the more I realize that nobody really has a clue about how to deal with this - it's all educated guessing.

Donnamarie - Don't know if you saw it, but Gov. Cuomo not only told drumpf off in a tweet - he also did it loud and clear this morning on national tv. I often disagree with him, but this morning I was really proud he's our governor!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8117941/Sole-Republican-congressman-threatens-hold-coronavirus-bailout-plan.html

[size=34]Sole Republican congressman threatens to hold up coronavirus bailout plan with procedural move which would stop it being rushed to the Senate[/size]

• Rep. Louie Gohmert indicated Monday that he'd hold up the already-passed House coronavirus bill so it can't quickly get a Senate vote
  
  
• Gohmert wrote 'some of us believe that the newly worded laws should be finished before we pass them' 
  
  
• He was responding to how House leadership was working on a package of corrections for the bill before shipping it to the Senate 
  
  
• Gohmert was among the 40 Republicans who voted against the bill in the House early Saturday 
  
  
• He made headlines recently for refusing to self-quarantine after being exposed to a man who tested positive for coronavirus after attending CPAC  
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:01 EDT, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 15:01 EDT, 16 March 2020

     



Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, said Monday that he'll hold up the already-passed House coronavirus bill, as Congress struggles to find a legislative fix to help Americans during the ongoing crisis.  
'We still do not have a final draft of the negotiated changes being called "technical corrections" and some of us believe that the newly worded laws should be finished before we pass them. #CoronaVirus,' Gohmert tweeted Monday afternoon. 
The House passed its bill early Saturday and on Monday leadership was working on a package of corrections when Gohmert signaled he'll insist lawmakers vote on the new language - which is problematic because most members aren't currently in Washington. 


+1


Rep. Louie Gohmert indicated he would hold up the House coronavirus package bill, which passed the chamber on Saturday, but is getting revised before moving on to the Senate 



Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who voted against the legislation, said he believed 'newly worded laws should be finished before we pass them' 
Both the House and Senate were supposed to be out of town this week. 
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cancelled the Senate's recess, knowing the upper chamber would have to vote to approve the House's bill. 
Now it looks like a vote on the House bill won't happen in the Senate for several days.  
That bill was the result of negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, articulating the White House's point of view.
Still, some 40 Republicans voted against it, including Gohmert.              


Gohmert already made coronavirus-related headlines, as he interacted with the person who tested positive for the virus who attended CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. 
While Reps. Mark Meadows - the incoming White House chief of staff - Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Doug Collins and Sen. Ted Cruz decided to self-quarantine, Gohmert decided against it. 
He said he got approval from a CDC doctor to return to work. 'No one is panicking and we are observing the recommended precautions,' he said, speaking for himself and his staff. 
Upon his return, Gohmert was spotted giving Capitol Hill tours - including to a group of students. 
He was not shaking hands with anyone.

Kid rock refuses to close his bar, stating the request is unconstitutional.

Marvellous. Will either of these men take responsibility if anyone becomes ill or dies because
of their non-action?

I doubt it. They have a combined IQ of 0. I read somewhere over the weekend that one of the children on Gohmert's tour later tested positive for the virus. I don't know if they were positive before the tour or if they were infected by Gohmert or another participant, but either way he's acting irresponsibly by creating that kind of situation.

We have a country full of idiots.

[size=34]Disney World is slammed for holding a huge 'farewell' party before coronavirus shutdown – and critics include Walt Disney co-founder's GRAND DAUGHTER[/size]

• Abigail Disney wrote 'are you f****** kidding me' in response to pictures of party
  
  
• Disney closed the Orlando, Florida, resort as US tackles spread of coronavirus
  
  
• Coronavirus killed 69 and infected 3,774 in the US alone and is highly contagious
  
  
• Disney has closed all its parks in US, Europe and Asia in a bid to slow the spread 
  
  
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
  
  

By JEMMA CARR FOR MAILONLINE and REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 02:14 EDT, 16 March 2020 | UPDATED: 11:57 EDT, 16 March 2020

     



Disney World has been slammed for holding a huge 'farewell' party with hundreds of visitors before the park shut over coronavirus fears.
Critics included Abigail Disney, the grand daughter of Walt Disney Co's co-founder Roy Disney. 
Disney shut its flagship theme park resort in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday night as the country tackles the spread of coronavirus, which has killed 69 and infected 3,774 in the US alone.
Florida currently has around 130 of those cases.


+5


Disney World has been slammed for holding a huge 'farewell' party with hundreds of visitors (pictured) before the park shuts over coronavirus fears


+5


Huge crowds gathered to see the Disney characters on a balcony shortly before the theme park closed
Ms Disney wrote 'are you f****** kidding me' in response to pictures of massive crowds at Sunday night's showing of 'Happily Ever After', a fireworks show in Florida's Magic Kingdom. 
The deadly bug - which has killed 6,000 people and infected more than 169,000 worldwide - has forced the closure of all Disney parks in the US, Europe and Asia.
Last night's celebrations were held in Magic Kingdom in the Orlando resort which had 20 million visitors in 2018 making it the most-visited theme park in the world.
Walt Disney World News Today - who are unaffiliated with the actual resort - first shared the images of the night with the caption: 'A whole cast of characters, from Mary Poppins, to Stitch and even Cinderella were at the special farewell at the Magic Kingdom.'


+5


Disney shut its flagship theme park resort in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday night (pictured: revelers at the park before its closure) as the country tackles the spread of coronavirus
[size=10][size=18]Coronavirus: Disney characters gather for farewell as park shuts




Loade[/size][/size]








+5


Critics of the event - where Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters gathered on a balcony - included Abigail Disney, the grand daughter of Walt Disney Co's co-founder Roy Disney



People flocked to Twitter to slam the park. Disney World has been approached for comment

Here is more stupid for you Lizzy.

Well, it is Florida. Having spent a lot more time there than I care to remember, I've come to think living with all that sunshine fries your brains. Either that, or there's something in the water that turns you stupid if you live there too long.I truly believe more people do more stupid things in Florida than anywhere else in the US.

And screw this guy, too. Where was he in December and January when the then-epidemic was unfolding in China? Nowhere to be found. His job is to be at the vanguard of US public health. He knew that the infrastructure for infectious disease surveillance had been dismantled by his boss, so he should have been even more diligent in that regard. We got nothing. No cautions, no warning signals, no public service announcements.

His job is not ceremonial. He's there for a reason. But what do you expect when an anesthesiologist from the Navy becomes the nation's top doctor?

Also, I don't trust Black people who work for the Pretend-sident.

Way2Old - I don't trust anyone who works for him. If they show any signs of competence or decency they get fired.